Darker Dreams
by Snow Tigra
Summary: Yuusuke runs away from home, sick of the atmosphere and everything in his life, only to find himself in a place like none he's ever seen, surrounded by people who certainly aren't human. Including a silver creature, who won't leave his dreams. Yaoi. Ot
1. Opening

Welcome to Yami Yume, the club also known as Dark Dreams. Here you can fulfill your wildest fantasies. Now, come come, this is no normal club. We don't have normal women.  
  
No, in fact, here we have amazingly beautiful creatures, the likes of which you've never seen. These fantasies aren't for the meek, I tell you. No, these are for those who truely have dreams.   
  
We cater to one and all and there is no fantasy we can't provide for you, no matter how outlandish that might seem. We challenge you, come in and stump us. Come in and try to find something we can't give you.  
  
We aim to please, and we always provide. 


	2. Chapter 1

It wasn't the place you found in the city, but rather one that leaned on the edge of town, just between the rotting down buildings and the hustle and bustle of the acknowledged world. It reclined on the edge, standing on both sides, defying the very nature of things with it's existance. Places like this weren't supposed to exist. Places like this weren't supposed to be acknowledged if they did exist. They were illusions, apparitions tucked away in the back of one's head. You looked past them, through them, never straight at them. And you never spoke of them, never.  
  
On rainy nights like this, the place seemed to glow with a ghostly light, perfectly fitting into the place which society had given it. People passed by on the street, cringing in their coats and under their newspapers, adverting their eyes from the monstrosity with watery red lights. If you didn't look at it, it didn't exist. If you didn't acknowledge it, it didn't exist.   
  
But it still haunted the back of your mind.  
  
A lone figure darted through the rain, trying to avoid being soaked more, if that were even possible. His head was ducked into his clothing, not even caring about where he was going. So perhaps that is why when he stumbled into that door way, he didn't seem to care. It was almost like he didn't see the signs, or rather felt that his warmth and driness was more important then any societal notions of right and wrong. Or he could just have been from out of town, and couldn't have known better.  
  
The door opened before him, a young boy standing there in a flowing outfit that looked quite comfortable, but was also quite modest, surprisingly. The young boy had long, thin hair, that was none the less smooth and shone in the dim light, perfectly framing his young and almost exotic looking face and deep brown eyes with the slightest tint of icy blue. The boy flashed a welcoming smile and beckoned the wet man in, already having a towel ready to hand to him.  
  
"Come in, sir. It's warm here, and you are welcome to stay and rest until the rain stops."  
  
The stranger greatfully took the towel and used it to dry off his face and head, then slid out of his coat quickly, still dripping on the floor. The boy responded and took the coat, hanging it on a ready coat hanger next to a few others. Places like this were always ready to serve their guests in every way possible.  
  
"We have dry clothes," the boy added, gesturing to an adjacent room.   
  
"Thank you." The stranger regarded the boy with a suspicious look. "Wait... how much of this am I going to have to pay for? I don't have any money."  
  
The boy favored the man with a sweet smile and a soft laugh. "Don't worry sir, this is simply common curtosy. You'll know when they are services you have to pay for." With that the boy turned and lead the stranger into the adjacent room, letting the door close behind them.  
  
**  
  
A warm shower later and the stranger was completely refreshed. He stepped out of the bathroom and gave a sigh of pleasure as his feet met the plush carpet. A fluffy towel wrapped around his waist, he found one of the softest robes in the world waiting for him on a small stool right outside the bathroom door, and a loose but comfortable looking outfit lying on the bed for him. He stopped from drying his hair and glanced across the room, surprised to still find the young boy standing by the door paciently.  
  
He blinked at the boy, then shrugged and made his way over to the large bed covered in velvet covers. Letting go of the towel, and disregarding the clothes lying out for him, he flopped down on the bed and gave a loud sigh of happiness.  
  
"Now this is heaven."  
  
The boy let out a soft laugh, which echoed around the room like a light breeze. Aside from the soft sound, the boy hadn't moved since the stranger entered the room, at least not that he'd seen. The boy simply waited by the door, watching him with light and child-like interest. The stranger rolled over on the bed to regard him, and to his surprise, the boy looked right back, not bothered at all.  
  
"You think that's funny?"  
  
The boy simply smiled. "Heaven comes in many shapes and sizes I suppose."  
  
"Smart ass," the stranger muttered as he rolled back over and looked up at the ceiling. He blinked as he realized that the ceiling above him was made completely of a mirror, with a vine lattrice pattern crawling over it. Large bed, draping cloth, huge bathroom, mirrored ceiling... the strange sat up, suddenly reminded completely where he was. Without looking back at the boy he slid on the pants laying next to him, and then discarded the towel and pulled on the loose shirt. Standing up he took a few test steps, testing out how the clothing felt. It was strange, after spending a night dressed in soaking wet jeans and thin t-shirts and now this...  
  
"How the hell do you live in clothes like this? I feel naked."  
  
The boy's lips tugged into a small smirk. "I assure you, you are quite dressed."  
  
"Cute, real cute. So um, who's in charge here, I suppose I kinda need to ask permission to stay."  
  
The boy responded with a shrug. "You don't have to, least not tonight, but if you feel so inclined, I'll take you."  
  
The strange nodded and the boy gave a simple nod back. Turning on his heels in a movement that flowed like water around a creek, the boy slid open the door and headed off down the hall. The stranger quickly fell into step behind him, trying to keep up as his eyes scanned the world unfolding around him.  
  
Places like this didn't exist in real life. Places like this existed tucked in your mom's underwear drawer, hidden beneath the panties that showed so much more then they hid. Places like this existed in the shoe box under your best friend's bed, buried somewhere between the magazine of blonds and the postcards of red heads. Places like this were tucked behind bedroom doors, hidden under bathroom cupboards and slipped under pillows. Places like this were kept secret, unrevealed. Places and feelings tucked away, because they won't supposed to exist.  
  
The stranger found himself emmersed in a world exactly like that, filled with deep reds, vivrant greens and shimmering golds. Walls covered with intricate paintings, rather then wallpaper surrounding him, leading him down what looked like a tunnel from his own dreams, deeper and deeper into darkness, led by a young boy who moved more like an element of nature then a human.   
  
Walls of intricate patterns and colors flowed down, giving way to what looked like panes of glass, each one holding one scene or another that looked like a different area of the world. One fill of ice and snow, with water just quietly dripping off of stalagtites from the ceiling, while another reflected the hot desert of somewhere in the equalterial regions. And the stranger's steps became slower as he felt eyes, watching him. He slowed to a stop at a crossroads in the hallways, and finally gave into his curiosity, turning to look into one of those strange windowed rooms.  
  
His eyes met with the image of a cavern, small purple and blue lights cast shadows around the small area and suddenly he realized he wasn't looking through a strange window, but rather a glass door. And what lay inside looked to be a complete differnet world, placed into the size of a small bedroom, yet large enough to be considered elegant. And then, tucked in the back, he spotted the occupants.  
  
A blond, with hair that curled just the slightest at the ends, hinting at a body that wasn't quite into adulthood, or just wouldn't let a hint of that innocence go. His skin was pale, contrasted against the dark grey of the cavern setting and the remenents of his business suit strewn about. Even more of a contrast was the one sleeping next to him, one arm lazily draped across the blond in a hint of possession.  
  
This one wasn't sleeping.  
  
The stranger found himself staring into a pair of deep golden eyes, that watched him curiously in spite of the fact that they were heavy lidded from whatever activites had sent the blond off to sleep. His own skin was more of an olive, hinting at a natural tan, which would have looked pale had it not been next to the blond's complexion for comparison. But, most striking of all, was the long silver hair, which flowed down the back of his body and spilled around him as if it were made of liquid. It couldn't be completely from his head, but the only other explination would have been a tai-  
  
The boy cleared his breath behind the stranger, causing him to jump and turn around quickly in shock. He was greeted by the same friendly smile on the boy's face, though he'd obviously spotted something that wasn't supposed to be shared. He glanced away from the boy but only found the glass to the room was now darkened, now becoming a one way mirror to his sight. He frowned a bit and turned back only to find the boy walking again down the hall. Quickening his steps he followed.  
  
But those golden eyes were burned deep into his mind. Eyes like that, even in an ordinary creature, weren't something easily forgotten. 


	3. Chapter 2

The office was furnished in deep colors and rich fabrics, accented by the dark oak desk that sat flat in the middle of the room. A tall figure of a man sat in the plush chair, dressed in deep purples with long black hair flowing down his back until it disappeared from sight. His eyes were closed, though he looked right up when the stranger stepped in and seemed to be staring right at him. The stranger shifted in his own steps, then stopped, freezing up completely.  
  
Were those... horns?  
  
"Yomi." The boy said, gesturing to the tall man behind the desk. The stranger took it as a name and decided to ignore the horns, for the moment. Well, as much as 7 horns of varying sizes around his head could really be ignored. He simply walked up to the desk and opened his mouth for a greeting.  
  
"Umm... hi." The stranger could have slapped himself. He sounded like an idiot and by his voice it was obvious that he was staring at the unseeing man. "I came in from the rain and well, was wondering if I could spend the night..." he trailed off as the man's lips peeked in just a small reflection of a smirk of amusement. His words dropped off and he just stood there, shifting and feeling uncomfortable.  
  
"You may stay, if you can accept what you see."  
  
The stranger blinked. "Accept what I see, what do you... oh." His voice dropped off again as his eyes fixed on the horns, and he swallowed a bit nervously. His mind flipped back to the strange creature he'd seen in the room behind with silver hair and golden eyes. Perhaps he wasn't imagining when he'd thought he'd seen a tail, but no. That couldn't be right. Real people didn't have horns and tails, things like that only existed in fantasy novels. Still, the building in which he stood now looked like it was right out of a fantasy novel. Half his mind wasn't having that much trouble accepting the apparent reality of the situation, while the other -- more reasonable half -- was screaming at the impossibility of it all.  
  
"You are welcome to stay if you can accept the reality that you see before you. If you have a problem with what you see, then I'm sure the rain outside will be much more... comfortable for you and your peace of mind." The sightless man folded his hands together at that and only an idiot would have missed the veiled threat in those words. The stranger certainly caught it.  
  
"Damn, Yomi, I forgot how blunt you are."  
  
The stranger blinked and turned, suddenly noticing another figure in the room. This one was very thin and small as compared to the large bulk of a blind man sitting at the desk. And this one seemed to be his exact oppisite in other ways as well. His body was lounged over a large plush chair, looking quite comfortable but serving to make him look even small in comparison. Firery red hair sprouted wildly from his head and was short enough to show some semblance of control, but not much. His eyes were a orangish red, mirroring his hair, and his mouth tilted in an impish smile as he started to sit up.  
  
"You got a name, kid?" He asked, focusing his eyes on the stranger.  
  
"Kid? I'm the same age as you, from the looks of it." The stranger shot back, not pleased with being called a kid. He's come to this area to escape that, he wasn't about to stand for someone who didn't know him calling him kid.  
  
The fire haired man chuckled and stood up, offering the stranger his hand. "My name's Taski, how about we start with that?"  
  
"Yuusuke," the stranger responded, his own lips tugging into a smirk. He smirked even more when Taski nodded and skipped back to the large desk, pulling himself up to sit on the edge.   
  
"So, first off, just ignore Yomi. I forgot how blunt he really was with introducing newbies to everything, so just relax. It simply goes like this, you're welcome to stay as long as you like, if you can deal with what's here. If you can't, well then, I'm sure you can find a much more suitable and normal place to stay down the street, called a hotel." Taski ended that by sticking out his tounge, showing his disdane for the hotel down the street which he mentioned.   
  
"Deal with what's here... wait, you mean like him? His..." Yuusuke paused, then gave up trying to be nice and just spat it out. "His horns?"  
  
Yomi emitted a soft chuckle at that.  
  
"Yep, his horns. Can you deal with things like that? With horns? With wings? With talents? With all types of things that aren't accepted by the world out there? See, this place here is a type of sanctuary. We won't turn people away, but I'll honestly tell ya that if you can't deal with the reality inside this building then you are better off going somewhere else."  
  
Yuusuke blinked at him and then turned back to glance at the boy behind him. To his eyes the boy seemed completely normal, but then there was the way he walked and moved, as if he were made of water, and his eyes. And then there was that creature they'd passed in the hall with the tail -- and he was sure it was a tail now. And now this Taski, with his firey eyes that looked akin to flames. Somewhere along the line he'd crossed over the line of reality and stumbled into a world that shouldn't exist, but apparently it did.  
  
"Is everyone here...?"  
  
Taski simply nodded, still waiting with a childlike pacitence for his answer.  
  
"I can deal." Yuusuke finally said. "It'll take a little getting used to, and I might stare a bit, but I can deal."  
  
Taski laughed at that and slapped the desk a bit. "Don't sweat it kid, even we stare at each other from time to time. Just be nice and stuff and don't tick anyone off. You are perfectly welcome to stay the night. Haku'll show you to a room you can stay in."  
  
"Actually, I was wondering if I could stay for more... then a night. I don't really have a place to go at the moment and I promise I won't be any trouble, and I'll even work to earn a meal and stuff. I just don't... well..." Yuusuke trailed off, glancing at the wall beside him. He was just offering to work in a brothel to earn his keep, how exactly was he going to explain that he didn't mean THAT kind of work?  
  
Taski, however, took it in stride. In fact, he must have found Yuusuke's expression quite amusing because he started laughing and rocking back and forth. After a moment, and after Yuusuke's cheeks were significantly redder, Taski calmed down enough to smirk and speak again. "How much of a monster do you think I am? Lemme guess, you passed the 'guest' rooms on the way here and you saw one of our clients. This may look like some strip joint from the front, but I assure you that not everyone here does that kind of job. Do you really think I'd let someone like Haku strip? He's not even 15, I'm not about to let him do anything like that. Like I said, this place is a safe house for our kind, but no one can survive without money, and if just so happens that a handful of us are comfortable with turning other people's fantasies into reality." Taski leaned forward a bit. "Don't tell me you've never wondered what it would be like to lay with someone who isn't quite human. Some people are quite turned on by things such as wings and the like."  
  
Yuusuke was sure his cheeks turned another shade of red from that and, at Taski's words, he remembered those beautiful golden eyes he'd seen. A second later he shook himself out of that vision and coughed a bit to regain his dignity. He wasn't used to blushing so much, but then the world he'd come from had focused more on fists then sex. Fists Yuusuke knew about, sex on the other hand... well, everyone had at least one area where they were innocent, even the town punk.  
  
"Umm, yeah," came his long and thought out answer. Taski just laughed a bit more and jumped down from the desk. The firey haired man clamped a hand over Yuusuke's shoulder in a friendly gesture.  
  
"Relax, you'll get used to it. It's just a job like any other, and eventually you won't even blink about it."  
  
Yuusuke nodded a bit numbly. He was quite sure that Taski was right, but at the moment it was all he could do to manage just lightly blushing. To his relief the boy at the door, Haku, motioned for him to follow. Yuusuke waved goodbye to Taski and left the room, unable to avoid a smile as he overheard Taski speaking.  
  
"Now Yomi, we need to talk about your 'friendly' attitude..."  
  
The two walked in silence down the same hallway for a long moment, heading to a different area of the building. For a while Yuusuke's eyes wandered around him at the ornate decorations and odd rooms that were open here and there, but finally his eyes settled back on Haku in curiosity.   
  
"Are you... like them?" He asked after a moment, almost immediatly regretting the stupid question. Nice going Yuusuke, the best way to get people to like you is to offend them with every word that comes out of your mouth. He could almost taste his ankels in his mouth now from swallowing his foot so much.  
  
Haku stopped walking them turned to look at Yuusuke, a small amused look on his face. "Yes."  
  
"Well, umm... what exactly- Nevermind, it's not my business."  
  
Haku's smile became more friendly. "You're perfectly welcome to ask any questions you might have of anyone here. Just as long as you respect that we are perfectly welcome to not answer. Nothing can be harmed with being curious, if you know when to step back." He paused for a bit as Yuusuke gave a small nod, then the boy lifted up his hand.   
  
Yuusuke noticed, at that moment, that the boy before him actually wore a light blue nail polish, which caused the skin of his fingers to look quite pale, almost as if he were suffering from the beginnings of frost bite. But that wasn't the amazing thing when Haku raised his hand to eye level. As Yuusuke watched, the boy's hand actually began to frost over just a bit, small ice crystals growing over the grooves on his palm. Then the ice slid together and formed into an icicle, no larger then a pencil, which came to a razor sharp end on one side. Yuusuke's eyes widened.  
  
"That's why you answered the door instead of... the horned guy."  
  
Haku responded with a simple nod and the icicle melted out of existance so quickly there wasn't even a drop of water to hit the floor. Then he returned to his friendly smile. "I can create objects out of ice and, to an extent, control water." He said, as he began walking again. This time Yuusuke easily fell in step behind him.  
  
"So what about that other guy I saw? The one with the golden eyes? Does he really... have a tail?"  
  
Haku kept walking but glanced over his shoulder at Yuusuke. "That's Triton, and he's a youko. You won't see him around here that often."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"He only likes certain people and you... aren't quite his type."  
  
**  
  
Morning shone in through the window and danced over the room, covering it with a strange multicolored light. The figure in the thick blankets rolled over on his bed and turned his back to the sun, not at all eager to climb out of bed. Rolling over farther to escape the sun, suddenly there wasn't a bed under him. Yuusuke gave a small cry as he crashed to the floor, tangled in blankets like a cocoon. He landed on the hard, cold floor, only to hear soft laughter fill the room. Groaning and dazily sat up, rubbing the back of his head.  
  
"Good morning," Haku was standing above him, tying his hair back with a simple string, which would probably fall out by the end of the day, if not in the hour. Even Yuusuke knew that hair like that never stayed tied back. "You're not a morning person, are you?"  
  
Yuusuke shook his head, and for a moment, debated rolling tighter in the blankets and hiding under the bed to grab a bit more sleep, but quickly abondoned that idea. That was how he'd been kicked out of the last place he'd asked to stay for the night. Sighing in defeat he began the slow work of untangling himself from the blankets. "I hate mornings."  
  
Haku smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed, his feet swinging just a bit because he wasn't quite tall enough for them to reach the floor. "You'll start to like mornings soon, I'm sure of it."  
  
"Absolutly nothing could make me like mornings. Sunlight and mornings are evil."  
  
Haku just chuckled as Yuusuke finally managed to pull himself out of the blankets and stands up. He managed to make it to his feet and stretched out, then pulled on his jeans and t-shirt, which had been washed at some point during the night. Grabbing a comb he tugged it through his short hair a few times, then figured it wasn't worth bothering with and abondoned the thought. Shrugging he turned to face Haku.  
  
"I never really asked Taski what exactly I was supposed to do to earn a place to sleep and such."  
  
"I'll show you around first. I think today you just get to get used to your surroundings. You don't need to worry. In any case, it's breakfast time."  
  
"I don't eat breakfast this early."  
  
Haku didn't seem to care too much about that comment, because he still beckoned Yuusuke to follow him as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. "Well, I'm supposed to show you around, so since I'm hungry I might as well show you where the kitchen and food is."  
  
"Oh... good point. Well then, lead the way."  
  
With sunlight attempting to sneak in through the windows scattered through the building, Yuusuke found the place not much different then it was at night. All windows he encountered were stained glass, allowing only a small amount of light to get in, filled with colors of every shade. This multicolored light wasn't much different from the flicking candle bulbs that lit the hallways at night, making the entire place still seem quite unreal. Cloths were drapped across the walls in long sweeping rows, creating a kind of soft railing that flowed up and down the wall as they walked, each with a deep solid cover and golden finges on the edge. All Yuusuke could think about was how everything in this place must have cost a fortune. Either that, or someone had bought out every thrift store in the city, purchasing furniture that looked both used and yet still elegant. Knowing Taski's personality, he was guessing the latter.  
  
A ways down the hallway and Yuusuke's nose was soon assaulted by the sweet smells of cinnamon and sugar. He picked up his step and followed Haku a little faster, quite curious as to where the wonderful smell was coming from. The hallways opened up into a kitchen area where walls were covered with cupboards, easily full of food. The smell drifted from a pan of fresh and very sticky looking cinnamon buns that were larger then Yuusuke's fist. And standing at the stove, putting in another pan, was a taller man who was quite thin and dressed in tight fitting black pants, with a top that looked more like a backless vest. His hair was long with an unkept look in spite of the long pony tail which almost met his knees.   
  
Yuusuke started to follow Haku into the kitchen when he noticed one more thing about the person standing at the stove, and that made him freeze. The person at the stove had a backless vest for a reason, it was about the only piece of clothing one could wear, if they had wings.  
  
Yes, wings.   
  
Large black wings, that looked about the width of the room when they were stretched out completely, though now they were folded against his back to avoid becoming combersome. The strange leathery skin almost exactly matched the color of his hair and his naturally colored nails, which stood out against his almost pale skin. Black eyes also glanced up at Yuusuke as he stood frozen in the doorway and the creature flashed a welcoming smile, which held a slight tilt of mischeif.  
  
"Well, hello, you're new."  
  
Yuusuke, for the life of him, suddenly couldn't remember how to speak.  
  
"Kuronue! Don't scare the newbie."   
  
Yuusuke's eyes shifted across the room to see a girl sitting at the table, her hair a bright blue in color. She wore a pink kimono that was far too bright for Yuusuke's comfort and she seemed completely normal. At least, she did, until Yuusuke noticed the fact that she wasn't sitting in a chair, she was floating on what looked like an oar for a canoe.  
  
"It's far too early in the morning to be scolded. Can't I even have some fun?" The winged creature at the stove gave the girl a pout, then glanced back at Yuusuke. "You there kid? Hey, Botan, he's still in his body right? I didn't scare him to death, did I?"  
  
The woman rolled her eyes and stood up, standing her oar up and leaning it against the table. "Honestly, Kuronue, he's alive. I told you you should put your wings around your shoulders like a cape, it scares them less."  
  
"But that makes them stiff. Besides, you can't really talk with your floating thing."  
  
Botan, the girl, shrugged. "The table blocks it."  
  
Kuronue responded by rolling his own eyes. "The table blocks it," he mocked in a high pitched voice under his breath, then gave a sigh of defeat. Either that or it was a sigh of annoyance, Yuusuke couldn't tell which one. The winged man turned back to Yuusuke and Haku and handed Haku a plate, which he happily took and sat down at the table, eating it as if everything were perfectly normal. But then, to him, it probably was.  
  
"Would you like one?" Kuronue asked, still waiting on Yuusuke to step out of his shocked state.  
  
"Umm... yeah, sure."  
  
The winged creature turned and placed one on a plate for him with a warm smile. "Don't worry kid, you'll get used to us, we're not that strange." Then he had his own plate and he was moving toward the table to sit down, elbowing Botan out of the way as she jokingly floated over his seat pretending it was hers, leaving Yuusuke to stands alone by the stove. A moment later Yuusuke shook off his shock, or at least enough of it to move, and he walked over to the table, taking a seat at the end next to Haku. Still, he didn't eat at his roll, he just looked around the table at everyone. He didn't care if it was rude to stare, he couldn't help it.   
  
As he sat at the table he glanced around at everyone else who surrounded him and chatted happily. There was the winged Kuronue, and Botan, both of whom seemed to be good friends. Either that or they were each other's favorite victims. Yuusuke was voting on the latter, because they never seemed to stop picking on each other.  
  
Sitting next to Botan was a young man, also dressed in a kimono type outfit, yet this one was the male style. His wasn't bright pink, but rather a red and blue, with a small matching red scarf or cloth wrapped around his neck. His eyes were the same bright blue color as hers and he had many of the same facial features. Both of them had to be related and Yuusuke took a shot in the dark and assumed they were twins, thanks to the fact that they looked so simular in age. He, however, didn't seem nearly as cheerful as his sister, as his eyes seemed to be focusing on the air beside him as he ate, almost as if he were listening to someone talking, but there was no one there.  
  
Across the table from him sat a shorter boy, nearly half Yuusuke's height, but perhaps a bit taller then that. He had a sour expression on his face and was eating his own roll, his eyes tilted in a perminent glare at nothing in particular. A headband covered his forehead and aside from his spiky hair he looked fairly normal. At least, he did, until Yuusuke noticed that around his arm was a long and ornate tattoo of a dragon, that moved. The dragon on his arm actually twisted around his arm, moving slowly over him as if it were alive, Yuusuke half expected it to lift it's head and look at him, but thankfully it didn't.  
  
"Well well, look who's finally up."  
  
Yuusuke blinked and glanced back at the door, at Kuronue's comment -- which earned him a swift swat from Botan -- to spot another person entering the room. He expected another strange person to be stepping in, but instead this was someone very different. Yuusuke found himself holding his breath as he saw this person enter.  
  
Nothing about him was especially odd, like the others. But rather he looked quite like any other human one might run into, with short auburn hair and deep green eyes. And yet, when Yuusuke met his eyes, both boys stopped and looked at each other for a split second and Yuusuke could have sworn he saw those eyes flash golden for a split second.   
  
Golden. Like that strange silver creature he'd seen the night before.  
  
A second later the gold was gone, if it had ever been there, and the silent boy simply walked over to the stove, took a roll and left the kitchen, not saying a single word. Yuusuke found himself blinking and he glanced across the room at Kuronue and Botan.  
  
"You idiot," Botan hissed, swatting him again.  
  
Kuronue responded with a wince. "Well excuse me for being friendly. I know damn well he isn't a morning person, but it doesn't hurt to say good morning, and he won't kill me like squirt over there." Kuronue pointed with his thumb to the pissy shorter boy at the end of the table. That boy looked up and shot a glare in Kuronue's direction.  
  
"Call me that again, and I will kill you." He responded in a low voice, his red eyes locking on Kuronue.  
  
The winged man seemed to take it all in stride and just shrugged, sliding back in his chair. "Another exciting morning. Hey, you got a name, newbie?"  
  
Yuusuke blinked, suddenly realizing that he was being spoken to. "Yuusuke Urameshi."  
  
The blue haired girl turned her attention to him. "So, what do you do?"  
  
"Do?"  
  
Haku chuckled very softly next to Yuusuke. "He's a normal."  
  
Yuusuke sunk a bit in his chair for that, expecting some severe sort of reaction from the others. How strange was it to be the so-called 'freak' around the those people would usually consider freaks. Not the best choice of words for his mental thoughts, but it about covered the situation. He expected them to burst out or kick him out, or something... and yet he recieved smiles and welcomes. Yuusuke blinked at Kuronue.  
  
"What?"  
  
Kuronue chuckled. "I said 'Welcome'. Relax, kid, you look like you expected us to hit you or something."  
  
Yuusuke chuckled a bit nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, umm, yeah, I guess that was a bit silly of me."  
  
"Don't worry about it, we don't bite. Well, we don't, he might." She nodded toward the short one who responded with a death glare, then smiled sweetly at him. "We're all friends here."  
  
"Who was... that?" Yuusuke couldn't help himself, he had to ask. He'd never been one known for his brains so it didn't bother him that he was being nosey, least not too much. That and his curiosity just couldn't handle it when he was left in the dark about things.   
  
"His name's Triton," Oddily enough it wasn't Botan or Kuronue who answered this time. Instead it was the boy sitting next to Botan who Yuusuke still pegged as Botan's twin brother. His eyes were now focused on Yuusuke, seeming to have forgotten whoever - or whatever - he'd been speaking with before. "He's not the most talkative and he likes to keep to himself."  
  
Yuusuke's eyes glanced over to meet his.  
  
"You're better off not worrying about him."  
  
Yuusuke blinked at that, but no one else agreed or disagreed with it. Turning slightly in his chair he looked back toward the door where Triton had been. Something about that one caught his attention and he couldn't quite shake it. But everyone else seemed to have dropped the subject, so he did as well. At least, for the moment. 


	4. Chapter 3

**  
  
In spite of any fears Yuusuke may have had, he found himself fitting in rather easily at the strange place. Within a week he already knew his way around the large building, which turned out to be a warehouse that had been gutted and redone on the inside, and was soon living there like he always had. Mornings, just as Haku had said, became routine as he always joined the others for breakfast, always enjoying Kuronue's wonderful ability to cook. During the mornings, scents of delicious food filled the entire building, so much to the point that, more often then not, even Taski and Yomi joined them. Though, no matter how good the food smelled, Triton never stayed long enough to sit down, and he never spoke a word.  
  
Days were filled with cleaning and helpping with odd jobs around the building. To Yuusuke's surprise he actually learned quite a bit of carpentry to help repair rooms, and was forced to come up with creative ideas for repairing or creating the strange rooms which lined the main hall, all of which were set up with a particular setting, cattering to the odder of people's fantasies. Cooking, cleaning, building, even helpping Botan by cutting fabric, Yuusuke soon became a jack of all trades in the strange club, able and willing to help with nearly anything. Anything but stripping.  
  
The evenings where the times when he still felt a bit uncomfortable, but then even the bad boy was allowed to feel uncomfortable or uneasy when his new home became alive with people and transformed into a strip club of sorts. At night Haku would be at his normal position at the door to greet the many rich guests who entered the club. And more often then not, Yuusuke found himself stopping by the door to the main entertainment room, as it was called, where these men would meet whoever they were paying to spend the night with. And it was at those times that Yuusuke was able to catch a glimpse of the stunning silver creature who'd caught his eyes that first night.  
  
Nearly every night that Yuusuke passed by the room, that silver creature was there, along with Kuronue and a couple of the others. Nearly everyone in the building seemed to have business in the room, save for himself, Taski and Haku. And nearly every night that silver creature met Yuusuke's eyes for just a second, then went back to his work, soon to leave the room with his client and go to one of the themed rooms in the hall, which were - thankfully - soundproof.  
  
Other then those times at night, the strange silver haired creature was never sighted, not even for a second. But Yuusuke wasn't stupid, he had his supicions. The most probable of which was that Triton was the silver creature with the tail, and his ability was that of shape changing, or something odd like that. After all, that would cause him to fit right in, and that would also explain how his eyes always seemed to flash golden for a split second whenever his eyes met Yuusuke's. But it still didn't explain how anti-social he seemed. Yuusuke never saw Triton, or the silver creature for that matter, talking with anyone. He didn't count the customers, because he wasn't sure about that, but he never saw him talking to anyone else. He was fairly sure that Triton could talk, so perhaps he was just overly shy. But still, that didn't seem to fit either.  
  
"Well?"  
  
Yuusuke blinked and looked down from where he was sitting up on a roof support beam. Haku was standing below him, watching him as he was painting over a patched area of the ceiling.  
  
"Well what?" Yuusuke asked as he paused and looked at the younger boy. Haku responded with a giggle.  
  
"You're spacing out again. I was asking you about you."  
  
"Oh. Umm... what about me? Can I get some more paint?"  
  
Haku just chuckled again and made his way up the ladder with the paint bucket. He took a seat next to Yuusuke so he could reach the paint, swinging his legs over the edge of the support beam. "You know, just about you. Why are you here? Where did you come from?"  
  
"No where interesting," Yuusuke answered, resuming his painting and trying not to get it all over himself in spite of the fact that he was painting the ceiling. "You know, normal town near the main city, some beat up house on the corner. Parents who don't really care, the regular."  
  
Haku seemed to debate that for a moment, then shook his head a bit. "No, that doesn't sound familiar to me at all. What else?"  
  
"Well, I got sick of it. I got sick of my mother drinking all the time and my father up and disappeared before I could even remember what his face looked like. So I just got sick of it and left. And well... it was raining and I was sick and cold of the rain, so I stopped here. And yeah, you know from there."  
  
"You stopped here, of all places?" Haku asked him curiously.  
  
"No, I've tried to stay at a couple of other places, but they all kicked me out eventually after they found out I was looking for a place to live and not just a place to crash. People don't like runaways that much."  
  
Haku nodded his agreement. "That is true."  
  
"What about you?" Yuusuke asked as he laid back on the support beam, to reach a lower part of the ceiling he couldn't sit by.   
  
Haku's eyes darted to him, then back to the floor below them, gaining a thoughtful look. "I went missing."  
  
Yuusuke blinked. "But you're here right now, so you're obviously not missing."  
  
"My parents tried to kill me."  
  
Yuusuke's hand stopped in it's constant motion and the brush actually slipped out of his hand. Sitting up quickly he caught it in the air, but his head hit the ceiling, causing his hair to be covered in paint and a string of curseword to leak out of his mouth. And even after that effort, the brush still slipped from his hands and landed down on the floor. Yuusuke groaned and rubbed his head, groaning a bit more as he realized he just smeared the paint over his head more.  
  
"Sorry," Haku said, between an attempt at covering his amusement. Yuusuke just smiled back at him and shook his head. "Fine by me, no big loss, now I'm just really happy I laid out that cloth on the floor." He pulled a spare brush from his pocket and laid back down, going back to painting the ceiling and fixing the weird lines his hair had indented into the wet paint.  
  
"Your hair..."  
  
"I have to take a shower anyway, no big deal." Yuusuke went back to painting, easily enough. "Oh, and sorry for being nosey... I didn't mean to bring up uncomfortable stuff."  
  
"I told you before, Yuusuke. You can ask any question you like. And I can answer any questions I like. I've lived with it all my life, it doesn't bother me that much anymore."  
  
Yuusuke glanced over at Haku, then nodded a bit himself, returning back to painting in relative silence. Still, even with Haku's words he couldn't get over what the boy had said. He'd thought that he himself had had it bad with his drunk mom and his father who disappeared off the face of the earth around the time he was born. But he'd never even really considered what it would be like to have his parents turn around and try to kill him. He could only imagine what it would have been like to grow up with whatever powers Haku might have had, and have his parents turn on him because of it.  
  
How does one act when the world stops seeing you as human?  
  
Running away from a home that neglected him was nothing compared too what most of these people probably had gone through. And yet... Haku still had a sweet smile on his face for most of the day. He was able to deal with it, or he had learned to. Yuusuke glanced over at the younger boy once more and found himself smiling just a little. That boy was certainly stronger then he looked.  
  
Stretching out his arms he finally sat back up and took a critical look at the ceiling. "Ok, I'm done. Looks like it worked out, and if not I'll just paint it more tommorrow."  
  
Haku nodded and snapped the top back on over the paint container. "It's almost time for dinner, and Kuronue is cooking again. Are you going to join us?" He asked as he climbed down the ladder and retrieved the brush that Yuusuke had dropped earlier.  
  
"I'm gonna go take a shower first before my hair turns brown. While I wouldn't mind the new color, I don't think it would look the greatest on me." Yuusuke grinned at Haku, making a silly face and the boy responded with a laugh, before heading off to the kitchen. Yuusuke, meanwhile, made sure everything was safely tucked into a corner where it wouldn't be tripped on, and made his way back toward the bedroom which he and Haku shared. He was looking forward to a nice warm shower, even if most of it would be spent with shampoo trying to scrub the paint which had mostly dried into his hair.   
  
Walking down the hallway, back toward his room, he found himself passing the enterance area where they usually entertained the guests. The room was empty, as it usually was at this hour, save for one person. Yuusuke stopped in the doorway and turned to face that person, quite surprised to find the silver creature sitting on one of the chairs as if he were waiting expectantly, not facing Yuusuke. And Yuusuke found himself stepping into the finely furnished room, toward the beautiful creature.  
  
A couple steps and the creature's ears twitched, once. Then it turned to face Yuusuke and he found himself caught in the creature's golden eyes. Yuusuke froze in his steps and swallowed a bit, suddenly not able to move. When standing this close he finally had a good look at the being before him, and was only slightly surprised to find he was staring at what looked like a mix between a silver fox and a human. And somewhere, some thing in the back of his mind vaguely remembered some half-forgotten mythology lesson from school mentioning just such a creature, but there was a name for it...  
  
"Youko."  
  
The silver youko tilted its head, just the slightest, as if to almost nod with Yuusuke's choked out assumption.   
  
Yuusuke managed to get a hold of himself for a moment and stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Very slowly, and carefully, he reached forward and brushed his fingers lightly into the youko's long hair.  
  
In amazement he watched the youko's eyes slide shut as he leaned just slightly into the touch, obviously enjoying it. "You're not the one I'm supposed to see tonight." The youko responded softly, his voice light, almost like a stray string of mist.  
  
Yuusuke swallowed but couldn't resist or pull his hand away. Instead he found himself still standing there, lightly touching the youko's cheek almost as if he were petting an animal, and he was surprised when the youko didn't stop him.  
  
After a moment the silver being opened its eyes, glancing up to Yuusuke. His lips tilted in a small smirk, but he still didn't move away from Yuusuke's hand. "You're more curious then most humans. And more bold."  
  
"I... I guess..." Yuusuke managed to studder out in response, not able to say much else. His brain was still too fogged.  
  
The youko in front of him chuckled, just a bit. "You're not who I'm supposed to see tonight. You should go." Then the being stepped back, away from Yuusuke's touch, and returned to his seat on the chair.  
  
Yuusuke stood there for a moment, still seeming to be in shock, then he managed to shake himself out of it, at least enough to regain control of his body. "Who are you?" He asked, taking a step back to steady himself.  
  
"Go. You shouldn't be here."  
  
Yuusuke opened his mouth to ask again, but suddenly thought better of himself. He, instead, nodded and turned leaving the room. As soon as Yuusuke hit the hallway he broke into a run back to his own room and didn't stop until he'd reached the shower, where he quickly threw off his clothes and proceeded to go about his original plan of washing the paint out of his hair. But as he stood there under the scalding warm water with the shampoo covering his head, all he could think about were those eyes and the voice that still seemed to ring in his ears. 


	5. Chapter 4

**  
  
Voices filled the air around him, flowing through the darkness on the wind. Familiar images passed by his eyes, playing out scenes he'd seen so many times before. The world seemed to swirl around him, scenes flashing. Within the strange memories he saw his parents, both of whom never really looked at him with more then scorn when he still cared about attempting to recieve their attention. He'd never met his father, that he could remember, but he always pictured him as some mix of his mother and the prinicpal from his school who'd always tried to straighten him out, but even he eventually dubbed Yuusuke as a lost case.   
  
His mother, she never seemed to care from the beginning. All Yuusuke knew of her was that she was always drunk, and if she was sober she was sleeping. Apparently the fuzzy world of alcohol was much easier to face then the reality of a son and abondonment by a man who was probably nothing more then a one night fling. She never cared about his grades, and for that matter didn't even care if he went to school, as long as she got the house to herself for most of the day. How she'd managed to live so long and remember to get groceries every week when she stumbled home from the bar was amazing. Yet the food never lasted long and Yuusuke found himself fending for himself, usually by stealing lunch from the better kids at school.   
  
No one had ever really cared about him, ever, save for that one student he knew. And as Yuusuke relived his memories in his dreams he saw the face of one of his only friends. Shuuichi Minamino, the so called perfect student from his school. The boy who'd always brought delicious looking lunches to school, and one day Yuusuke just couldn't stand it, so he walked right up to him and stole his lunch.  
  
Or rather, he'd tried to.  
  
In reality Yuusuke had had his ass handed to him for attempting to steal that lunch. He'd escaped with a bruised cheek and no food to even show for his effort, meanwhile Shuuichi only really got his uniform wrinkled. And yet, even after the little scuffle, to his surprise Shuuichi shared the lunch with him anyway, giving him the bigger share.  
  
"All you had to do was ask."  
  
Yuusuke rolled over in his sleep and the dream changed, the memory of that first shared lunch - the first of many - shifted to him running away from home. Vague and angry recollections of a fight with his mother, who managed in her drunken state to stand up enough and yell right at him. She'd even thrown two half empty bottles at him, yelling about how he was just as horrible as his father and that she wanted nothing to do with him. The words had stung, and he'd flung them right back with just as much anger in his voice. Then at the end he'd stomped out, and never even looked back.  
  
He hadn't even stopped to say good bye to Shuuichi.  
  
He hadn't stopped running, not for a good year. Every place he went they eventually kicked him out. The dream played out before him, reminding him of all the places he'd tried to stay, all the people who'd eventually kicked him out when they got sick of him. He found himself running in the dream, running and running past each place, as if he were being chased, or giving chase to something in the distance which he could not see.  
  
Then, suddenly, the ground under him disappeared and he found himself falling. The world around him flew away into darkness and he was falling, then he suddenly landed, on something soft... and living.  
  
Yuusuke's eyes snapped open in the dream and he found himself lying on top of the youko. Piercing yellow eyes looked back up at him and the world around him suddenly filled with color and he found himself leaning over that same youko, in a bed of silky sheets and covers. The youko was under him, and he didn't have to look down to know he wasn't wearing much in the way of clothing, if anything at all.  
  
The youko's lips tilted, ever so slightly, into a smirk and he leaned up. Yuusuke felt those warm lips brush against his own-  
  
And suddenly he was lying in the bed, in the room he shared with Haku, staring up at the ceiling.   
  
"Shit," he breathed out softly.  
  
Yuusuke rolled over in the bed and sat up, gripping his knees as he trembled just a bit from the dream. A light dusting of sweat covered his body and he knew his face was red, partly from embarassment and from the dream itself. He took a moment to relax, then slipped out of the bed and stumbled through the dark as quiet as he could to grab some poor excuse for clothing. After managing to tug on a pair of pants and a loose shirt, he slipped out of the room and just set off wandering down the halls, his hands in his pockets.  
  
It wasn't that the dream bothered him, not really. The memories and reliving bits and pieces from his past was normal, he'd dealt with dreams like that all his life, especially since he left his so called poor excuse for a home. But that last part, with the youko, that was rare. Why had he had that image?  
  
No, wait, that was a stupid question. He'd had that part of the dream because whatever that youko was, he was sexy as hell. Even with the silver hair, the cat like ears and the long flowing tail. Add that on to the fact of his clothing which really only consisted of flowing white fabric that was almost see through, and how could one not drool over him?  
  
Yuusuke found himself wandering farther into the club and eventually he found himself back in that strange hallway, with the themed rooms. He knew quite well that it was past midnight and the rooms were probably in use, but he couldn't resist walking thorugh the hallway anyway. So he only paused for a second to consider, then continued down the hallway, his eyes flowing over the rooms.  
  
Rainforest clearing, damp cave with a bed of fur, a waterfall, underwater, even one that looked like it could have been on some alien world. Each room was really a masterpiece, when one bothered to look at them. Great lengths were taken to cover every facet and detail in each of the small illusions. There was paint, real water, and even plants set up to make it more realistic. Short of placing the rooms in that real enviroment and anything else that would have been costly beyond belief, each of the rooms managed to pass off for almost reality. Every time there was a request for just such a room Taski had managed to throw together a plan and list of supplies in one night, and it took two weeks tops to construct. Yuusuke had no idea how much people paid to use the rooms, but he was sure it was quite a bit. But then, people would pay quite a bit, when offered the chance to live their fantasies, whatever those may be.  
  
Yuusuke passed by one of the rooms and stopped, surprised to find the door wide open, with only one person sitting inside. Stepping up to the door he peeked in, curious to see what was going on.  
  
The room itself was decked out with a religious type setting, with high stained glass windows on two of the walls - with fake lights behind them to make it look like they showed the vantage of a beautiful sunset - and rich looking wooden floors with two padded benches and something that vaguely resembled an altar at the front. Why someone would want to do it in a church was beyond Yuusuke, but he didn't question it. He'd learned it was much safer to just admire the rooms for their craftmanship.  
  
Sitting on one of the padded benches was one of the ones who regualrly joined them for breakfast. Yuusuke reconized him as Koenma, now, and knew he was Botan's twin brother, technically younger then her by about two seconds or something like that. He was currently just sitting in the chair, looking like he was listening intently to something, in spite of the fact that he was in the room alone. Yuusuke blinked as he saw the boy nod a few times, almost as if he were agreeing with some silent voice. Then Koenma turned to face him, with a curious look.  
  
"Hey," Yuusuke said, raising a hand in greeting. "I can go back to wandering if you're busy."  
  
Koenma shook his head. "I'm not busy, was just talking, and she's gone now."  
  
Yuusuke wandered into the room and glanced around. "She?" He was pretty sure Koenma wasn't talking about the clients he and some of the others entertained. Very rarely were there female clients and it was even more rare that they left so early in the night.  
  
"Her name is Mayu. She likes this room, it reminds her of her home."  
  
"Mayu hm? I haven't seen her around at the table for breakfast. I thought Botan was the only female here." Yuusuke said, as he took a seat next to Koenma on bench. He blinked a bit and turned when he heard Koenma chuckling softly. "What's so funny?"  
  
"You can't see her."  
  
"Why? Is her talent to be invisable? That's a bit too kinky for even me to think about."  
  
Koenma chuckled more and shook his head.  
  
"Then how come?"  
  
"Because she's dead."  
  
Yuusuke froze at that and found himself glancing around the room again. Koenma was talking to a dead girl? But then, he supposed it actually made a bit of sense, especially considering the setting they were currently sitting in. Didn't ghosts flock to religious places? So it made sense, in a weird sort of way. Except for one thing.  
  
"You see ghosts?"  
  
Koenma responded with a nod. "That's my... whatever you want to call it. It's what makes me different. Normal people can't see them, and to me they look like regular people walking around. The only difference is that their skin has this strange sort of white glow. I didn't notice it for the long time and I always thought they were real people, much to the surprise of them and the other real people around me. Botan can hear them, but she can't see them. She's got that floating thing instead."  
  
"Oh." Came Yuusuke's incredibly intelligent response. "So, that's what you're doing out here at night? Talking with them?"  
  
"Some nights. Most nights when I'm not busy they come to my room to talk. But Mayu prefers this room."  
  
Yuusuke nodded, still suffering from a loss of what really to say about anything. So he just sat there silently, searching through his head for some kind of subject.  
  
"It's weird, isn't it?"   
  
Yuusuke blinked. "Weird? What, that you can see ghosts? I don't think it's weird. To be honest it's kinda cool. I'm just a bit freaked right now because for all I know there could be millions standing around me, and I can't see them."  
  
Koenma responded with a chuckle. "They're always around, but they can't do anything to us. It's just like passing someone unimportant on the street. You know, you see them and you forget. You don't remember unless you stop and talk to them." The small smile faded off his face as he turned to look up at the large stained glass window. "Everyone else thinks it's weird. Dead people are dead... you're not supposed to be able to talk to them."  
  
"Well, not everyone. What about the people here-"  
  
Koenma cut him off. "They think it's weird too."  
  
Yuusuke remained quiet.  
  
"Even here... talking to dead people is weird. It's ok to fly, it's ok to make icicles and it's ok to change shape and have horns and tails and even wings. But talking to dead people? No, of course not, that's too strange." Koenma was looking down at the floor now, and not at Yuusuke. After a moment he stood up. "You probably think it's weird too. I should go."  
  
"Whoa, wait a second! I already said I thought it was cool. I mean, yeah, it's just a bit weird to know that they are all around us and I don't know if I could handle it, but I think it's a neat talent for you to have. See any cute girls or guys?"  
  
Koenma blinked and looked up at Yuusuke. "Cute guys or girls?"  
  
"Yeah, you know. In fact, I'd say you're pretty damn lucky. I bet that Mayu girl you were talking to is really cute. And just think, you're the only one who can talk to them, well except for the other ghosty guys that are around, but still, you've got them all to yourself-"  
  
"Yuusuke, just stop." But Koenma didn't sound sad at all. In fact, he had a smile on his face and he was laughing. "That has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."  
  
Yuusuke just grinned in response. "That, Koenma, is what I do best."  
  
Koenma shook his head as his laughter died down. "You're insane."  
  
"And you're welcome."  
  
Koenma turns and favored Yuusuke with a sincere smile on that. And both of them settled backdown to spend the rest of the night talking. Yuusuke soon forgot about his strange dream, but those same golden eyes remained burned into the back of his mind. 


	6. Chapter 5

**  
  
His voice rang through the hallway, causing Yuusuke to stumble in his tracks. It was definintly the voice of someone yelling, as for why they were yelling he wasn't really sure, but he didn't like the sound of it. Yuusuke turned around from where he was hunting for food in the kitchen and took off at a slight jog toward where the sound had come from, Taski's office.  
  
Quickly throwing the door open and stepping into the room, Yuusuke stopped and just stared. He'd heard Taski yelling, and the immediate response from that was to think that there was something wrong. What he didn't expect to see was Taski sitting at his desk basically throwing a tempter tantrum and tossing papers around yelling about how he hates something or other. Meanwhile Yomi, the horned one, stood a bit off to the side just watching him with a tierd look, like he'd heard this a million time before.  
  
"I don't wanna deal with this anymore! I'm sick of it! Sick! Sick! Sick! I hate-" Taski's tantrum deflated like a popped balloon as he caught sight of Yuusuke standing in the doorway. He blinked once, litterly having paused in midaction with his hands still halfway in the air. What papers he had been planning to throw slipped out of his hands, and landed on his head, sliding over his face. Taski groaned loudly and dropped back into his chair as if he wanted to sink into the floor. Meanwhile Yuusuke just stood there staring, not sure what to say at all.  
  
"Are you quite finished?" Yomi asked, his attention aimed at Taski, though his eyes were closed and he either liked not being able to see, or he was blind. Yuusuke was betting for the blind idea, but in this place, he was quickly learning, you never knew.  
  
"No, I'm not." Taski retorted back and emphasized his words by picking up another piece of paper and throwing it to the ground. "Now, I'm done."  
  
Yomi just gave a small sigh and knelt down, starting to pick up the papers in spite of his closed eyes. Somehow he managed to know exactly where all the papers had landed, which Yuusuke could only credit to the three ears on either side of his head. He must have an amazing sense of hearing.   
  
"Something up?"   
  
Yuusuke jumped a bit and glanced back at Taski. "Umm, no, not really. I just heard yelling and thought... just... nevermind. Not my business."  
  
"Well, I guess I was being a bit loud." Taski said in a rare thoughtful voice, then he shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Oh well, no biggie. I hate bills. I really hate them."  
  
Yomi declined to comment as he picked up the last of the papers. But this time he didn't set them on Taski's desk, instead he carried them over and placed them on a shelf out of his reach. Apparently if he wanted to throw them around again he'd have to excert some effort to stand up and reach them. Taski didn't seem to care anymore, now that they were out of his sight, which meant that Yomi's destraction worked.  
  
"I hate bills, why do I have to do them? That's why I hired you!" The firey redhead whined back at Yomi. Yomi simply shook his head.  
  
"I can hardly do bills when I can't read them."  
  
"Oh pooh." Taski settled back down in his chair in what looked like a pout, suddenly seeming very childish.  
  
"What's so big about bills..." Yuusuke's voice trailed off as he caught a glimpse of the total on the top paper. That couldn't be right. "Shit." He muttered softly.  
  
"Nicely put," Taski said dryly.  
  
Yuusuke glanced at the paper again, just staring at the total. The bill was laid out with various fees and records, stuff that Yuusuke had never looked at in his life so he had no hope of understanding it on his own. But it wasn't very hard to understand the underlying number at the bottom. He didn't think any place could cost that much, not even a warehouse that seemed to be falling apart at the seams and seemingly had to be repaired every week. And yet, the number just floored him.  
  
"You can't afford this, can you?"  
  
Taski flashed his a more serious frown. "So now you know why some of us here have those kind of jobs. But even that isn't enough anymore." He groaned. "I don't know what to do anymore."  
  
Yuusuke frowned down at the paper, his mind turning. It came as a shocking reality to him that Taski had allowed him to stay without paying his way. It certainly wasn't something they could afford, but he'd still said yes. And Yuusuke owed him for that. He shouldn't have expected to stay for free. So now he could only really see two options. Yuusuke frowned a bit more and turned back to Taski with a serious expression.  
  
"I'll do it."  
  
Taski blinked and looked up at him. "Huh? Do what?"  
  
"I'll need a umm... bit of training because I've never, well, yeah. But, I can agree to that. I mean, I can't really expect to stay here for free, now can I?"  
  
Taski blinked again and for the moment just stared. After a long moment allowed the shock to lessen, he leaned forward on the desk. "You don't have to," he said in a serious and quieter voice.  
  
"I know."  
  
Yuusuke let his words hang in the air and just looked back at Taski with all the seriousness he could muster. Inside he was shaking with nervousness. He'd never even kissed a guy or girl before, let alone done the deed. And here he was agreeing to sleep with other people for money. It wasn't glamourous, nor the type of job he really thought he'd ever enter. But at the same time, for something like this, it felt like the right thing to do. These people weren't the type of people who could go get a job at the corner store. And granted, he wasn't like them, he could pass for normal and was, as far as he knew. But still, they'd allowed him to stay without any questions, and he couldn't ignore that. Yuusuke felt he owed them for that, at least a little. And as a result, this felt like the right thing to do.  
  
Finally, Taski gave a slow nod.   
  
And it was decided.  
  
**  
  
Yuusuke stepped into the room and his eyes widened as he looked at racks and racks before him. Clothing, in all shapes and sizes, filled the small room/ large closet before him. Nearly every style he could think of lay before him, from fancy clothing that was about as thick and covering as fur coats to string bikinis and less, this room seemed to have everything. Everything in every color, and for any types of clothing that might not be found in the room, there was a sewing machine in the corner along with neatly folded piles of fabric. It looked like someone had bought out a local fabric store, or at least about ten different clearance bins. Yuusuke was betting on the last one.  
  
"You'd look good in these." Kuronue, who was standing beside Yuusuke, pulled him over toward a rack of clothing filled with... leather?  
  
"No way."  
  
Kuronue blinked at Yuusuke then his face turned in a small pout. "But it would look good on you."  
  
"No. No way, no how. I am not wearing... leather. I like my jeans and jacket, thank you very much."  
  
"It would look good on you." Chimmed in Haku, who was sitting on a bench not too far away, swinging his legs just the slightest since he wasn't tall enough to quite touch the floor.  
  
Yuusuke looked back at him. "I thought you didn't do this stuff."  
  
"I don't. I'm just pointing out it would look good on you."  
  
Yuusuke cursed that innocent smile that showed up on Haku's face. He didn't believe it anymore. He didn't believe Haku was innocent. There was no way that kid could be innocent if he hung out with this one who was currently trying to stick him in black leather.   
  
With a frown and a sigh Yuusuke glanced back at the clothes. To be honest, he didn't really have a thing against leather, and he'd even liked it in coat format back when he'd lived with his parents. So it wasn't the clothes that really bothered him. What bothered him now was the voice in the back of his mind that said people who saw him in clothes like that were going to look at him like a piece of meat, which was just stupid.  
  
He'd agreed to this, he knew that they were going to look at him that way.  
  
But there was a world of difference between agreeing to have sex for money and the actual act of doing it. Now that the easy agreeing part was over, he found himself gettng cold feet. He was insane, he'd never even had sex before, and he was agreeing to do this. And he just couldn't fathom how he would be able to now. In fact, he was so nervous he was nearly shaking.  
  
A hand rested on Yuusuke's shoulder and he jumped a bit, turning back to Kuronue. All the joking was gone from the winged one's face. Now he just looked at Yuusuke with an expression of concern.  
  
"You don't have to do this. If it's too much, you don't have to."  
  
Yuusuke shook his head with renewed determination. "No, I agreed. I'll pull my weight around here just as much as everyone else. I can do this." He turned away from Kuronue and looked back to the clothes, then nodded to himself and stepped forward. Reaching up to the clothes he selected a pair of pants that looked like they would fit him snug enough, and a vest, with a matching choker on the hanger. Stepping back from the clothes he almost hugging them to his chest, but managed to stop himself.  
  
"I can do this." He repeated.  
  
"Kid, relax. You don't need to worry about doing it tonight, we won't make you. All it is for tonight is just get used to the clothes, and you can stick around Haku and meet the regulars. We're not going to toss you to the sharks, so take as much time as you need."  
  
Yuusuke nodded again and moved past Kuronue into a room in the back, to change into the clothes.  
  
In a few moments he discovered he'd been right. The pants fit snuggly, almost like a second skin, but it was a comfortable fit, not tight. The choker fit around his neck like a collar and the vest hung around his body, accenting his just slightly pale skin. It would have looked better if he'd had a tan, but the weather outside stunk, and he wasn't one to actually lay out to get a tan. If he ever had one it was just a side effect of being outside so much.  
  
Tucking his clothes away in the corner, he also decided to drop his shoes there as well. Bare foot suited him just fine, and he seemed to think he'd probably prefer that anyway. Taking a deep breath, and one last glance at himself in the mirror, he stepped back into the room with Kuronue and Haku.  
  
Yuusuke was greeted by a low whistle from Kuronue and a slight jaw drop from Haku, and all he'd done was change clothes. He couldn't help but smirk at their reactions, suddenly growing much more confident. If people looked at him like this, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. Either that or he was building false self-confidence based on an outfit. But either way he wasn't close to shaking anymore and he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Any sort of confidence, false or not, he'd accept it for the time being.  
  
"Haku, you wanna take him down and introduce him?"  
  
Haku nodded. Jumpping up from his seat he headed over to where Yuusuke was and reached over, and took Yuusuke's hand in a friendly gesture, leading him out of the room and toward the main entertaining hall. As Yuusuke followed he watched the halls for different actions. It was night time, and generally at this time of the night he was off working on something in the back, or going to bed early so he could start early the next morning. He was almost never out at night, save for that one time when he'd spotted...  
  
Yuusuke stopped in midstep at the door, and suddenly forgot how to breath. He found himself standing in the doorway to the main entrance to the room finding it filled with people. Well, not completely filled, considering he reconized most of the people, but his eyes were focused completely on one person.  
  
Sitting in a plush chair, lounging like he owned the entire room, was the silver creature who'd lately been living in his very hot dreams. Silver hair from his head and tail spread out around him, the wavy green clothes he wore accenting his golden eyes which servayed the room around him. Yuusuke watched those eyes comb the room, and then they settled on him. The room around Yuuuske seemed to go completely silent, but he was sure that was just in his mind. For that moment, all he could focus on was the youko in front of him. And though no words passed between them, Yuusuke caught the message quite clearly.  
  
My territory.  
  
Yuusuke couldn't help but swallow a bit as he stared back. He'd just stepped into the youko's territory. He didn't know the first thing about this character but this one fact he knew for sure. He was treding on someone else's ground and he didn't know what the concequences for that were but all he could do was go with the flow. Unfortunantly even moving with the flow was impossible at the moment because his body wasn't even responding to that. Yuusuke attempted to take a slow breath to calm himself, but even that came up as impossible. He wasn't able to do anything, save for stare back at the magnificent creature before him.  
  
Then suddenly, he could breathe again. Yuusuke blinked and took a small step back to steady himself as someone stepped between him and those eyes. One moment he was looking at the golden eyes and the next he was looking at someone's back, as the person stepped between them. Yuusuke took a moment to recover and just watched.  
  
The person now standing between them was quite tall and thin for his masculine body. His hair was long and black, shining with what looked like a layer of grease, enough to make someone cringe. On his body he wore a long black trenchcoat, covering everything that Yuusuke could see, save for the shining boots around his feet, but then there wasn't much one could see from the back view. Yuusuke couldn't catch a glimpse of his face, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. Something about this person, even from the back end, just creeped him out. He found himself stepping back and following Haku to a added bench on the side of the room, quickly moving away from this new person. Sitting down on the bench he was finally able to relax as he looked more around the room. But he didn't look around the room completely yet, instead he just watched the youko.  
  
The youko's eyes were now trained on the dark figure standing before him, who leered just a bit, or at least seemed to from what little Yuusuke could see of his face. His eyes were slanted. It wasn't from past heritage, but more from the mannerism he carried about himself. Yuusuke didn't like it, or him, and apparently neither did the youko, because Yuusuke noticed his own eyes narrowed a bit as his body seemed to stiffen. The golden eyes flickered to the door as if looking for someone, but didn't find anyone there. Meanwhile the figure in black leaned forward and moved in, catching the youko's lips in a deep kiss and Yuusuke watched with a strange sort of amazement as the two seemed to melt together in the kiss, that black trench coat covering most of the silver hair that Yuusuke could see, like a cloud blocking out the light.  
  
Yuusuke finally tore his eyes away, feeling his cheeks blush red as he glanced around the room. He found Botan flirting with a young man in the corner, wearing an outfit that seemed to float around her much like the powers he knew she had. Meanwhile her twin bother Koenma was talking with an older woman, looking a bit nervous about her and how friendly her hands were becoming. Kuronue had entered the room during Yuusuke's little trance and was now leaving the room with a pair of twins, who each had a look of anticipation on their face, and other then that, the room was empty save for him and Haku.  
  
He fidgited in his chair and glanced back at the youko, only to find him and the man in black standing to exit the room. Yuusuke couldn't help it, his eyes followed them out until they reached the doorway and stepped out of sight, passing a blond boy who just now stepped into the room.  
  
For a second the blond's blue eyes met the youko's, and then the look was gone as the two disappeared down the hall and that blond stepped into the room. His blue eyes scanned the room, then he smirked just a bit and walked up to Yuusuke and Haku. Yuusuke found himself swallowing nervously as his poor excuse for confidence disappeared.  
  
"Well, and who's this? I don't reconize this one."  
  
Yuusuke watched as his hand moved forward and caught him lightly under the chin, tilting his face up.   
  
Had this been any other situation Yuusuke would have jerked away, or made some smart comment. But for the life of him, all he could do now was do his best not to go through brain freeze and fall over from stress and shock.   
  
"His name is Yuusuke. He's off limits tonight, Mr Winner."  
  
The blond seemed to smile at that, his eyes never leaving Yuusuke. "Yuusuke is it? Off limits completely, or can I pay for a kiss?"  
  
Yuusuke took a slow breath to keep his body from shaking.  
  
"Not toni-" Haku started to say, but Yuusuke cut him off.  
  
"No. It's ok." And to his suprise he found his voice was surprisingly firm, as if he wasn't nervous at all. Apparently his voice was really good at lying, in spite of the fact that the rest of his body refused to move.  
  
The blond's eyes flickered to Haku for a moment, then he nodded and brushed a thumb over Yuusuke's lower lip. Yuusuke, in spite of himself, drew in a sharp breath at that, not used to the sensation at all. Then, before he could reconsider, he felt lips touch his own and his eyes slid shut, a soft sound escaping from his throat without prior warning.  
  
** 


	7. Chapter 6

Later that night found Yuusuke lying quietly in his bed. He hadn't bothered to change back into his normal clothes, instead he was just lying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, his eyes halfway closed. In his mind he could still see that face, and his lips still tingled from that kiss.  
  
It was only a few hours after the kiss, and still all he could do was lay there and stare off into space. He wasn't sure why he was becoming so obssessed over a simple action, but he was. Closing his eyes he kept replaying the memory in his mind. The blond who'd stood before him, who was obviously the same blond he'd seen lying with the youko that first night. Though, that night he'd thought the blond innocent, this night he was convinsed the blond was a devious little devil. He certainly wasn't innocent, no innocent creature would have a glint like he'd had in his eyes during that kiss, a look that seemed to say he knew Yuusuke would want more. Something along the lines of him being cocky and knowning that his kisses were that good. The nerve.  
  
Yuusuke frowned deeply and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to rid himself of the vision. It worked for a moment, then another vision filled his mind's, and this one froze him. This time he felt the kiss on his lips again, but in his mind he didn't see Mr. Winner. Instead, he saw the youko, leaning over him and their lips meeting as he stared into those golden eyes-  
  
Yuusuke gave a small cry and sat up, gasping softly for breath in the dark room. That had seemed too real, and yet, the feel of the blond's kiss and the image of the youko leaning over him hadn't been entirely a bad thing. Hell, it was a very good thing. And for the umpteenth time since his dreams with the youko started Yuusuke thanked the gods that Haku wasn't in the room.   
  
A couple deep breaths later and Yuusuke was able to calm down enough to lay down again and renew his weak attempt at sleep.   
  
"Problems?"  
  
Yuusuke's eyes snapped back open and he froze, not able to move. He reconized that voice. Slowly his eyes moved and he glanced toward the doorway to the room. He still couldn't turn his head, but even in the corner of his eye he could make out the shape of silver standing there. Yuusuke drew in a sharp breath and sat up so fast he ended up coughing. Leaning over and holding his stomiach he followed the coughing fit, partly greatful it kicked him out of his shocked state and partly wanting to sink into the bed with embarassment. When the fit was over he was surprised to find the youko was no longer at the door, but was now standing in front of him, his arms crossed and a small frown on his face.  
  
Yuusuke gazed up at the creature and just found himself staring. He couldn't help it. Everything about this creature standing before him was breath taking. Everything about him, beyond anything words could describe. Either that, or Yuusuke had found himself extra horny from the dreams he'd had of late with the youko as the main character. He swallowed and just stared, not sure what else to do.  
  
"His kiss got you good."  
  
"Kiss?"  
  
The youko smirked a bit. "Yes, his kiss. If his kiss does something like this to you, laying next to him will probably give you a heart attack."  
  
Yuusuke swallowed and tried to form the words in his mouth. He knew the youko was refering to the blond, but that's not who Yuusuke was reacting too. Yuusuke blushed brightly and looked down, just giving up on trying to create words. All he could do was wonder how the hell this creature had managed to turn him into a pile of goo.  
  
"Or is it not Quatre?" The youko moved in front of him and Yuusuke could tell he was getting closer. Then, suddenly, he felt fingers brushing against his face, one slipping over his lips. Yuusuke couldn't help it, he moaned softly before he could even think about his reaction. At that sound the youko pulled back and resumed just standing and looking at him.  
  
"You've never done this before, have you? Slept with someone for money?" His voice had changed. Yuusuke noticed it right away. Where as before his voice had been light and teasing, now it was lower and more serious. And something about that allowed him to relax a bit.   
  
Very slowly, Yuusuke shook his head.  
  
The youko let out an exasperated sigh. "Damnit Taski, how many times have I told that idiot..." he trailed off, turning to leave the room, or just moving in frustration.  
  
"No. I said I would." Yuusuke looked up, finding his courage returning. "Taski didn't do it."  
  
The youko turned back to Yuusuke. "Do you have any idea what you agreed to get into?"  
  
Yuusuke frowned and stood up. "I'm old enough to take care of myself. I make my own decisions."  
  
Those golden eyes regarded him for a second, then the youko turned completely and approached Yuusuke, until he's just a breath away from him, and then closer, causing Yuusuke to stumble back to the bed. Without a pause, the youko crawled over him, his eyes locked with Yuusuke's the whole time. And before Yuusuke could even protest - in spite of the fact that he was too shocked to - he felt those lips touch his in a kiss.  
  
This kiss wasn't like the one from the blond. This kiss had it's own unique taste, something that Yuusuke was nearly positive couldn't have come from a normal human. One touch, one taste, and he was lost. The kiss itself seemed to swallow him whole and in a second he found himself grabbing onto the youko's shoulders for support, feeling like he was falling in midair, in spite of the fact that he was lying down.  
  
The kiss ended quickly, leaving Yuusuke on the bed, his eyes heavy lidded as he attempted to recover from his sudden loss of breath. After a few moments of panting in recovery he opened his eyes and glanced over, finding the youko sitting next to him with an indescribable expression.  
  
"If that's one kiss... do you really want to give something like that up to a stranger?"   
  
"I made my choice." Yuusuke managed to studder out. His voice shook, from the kiss, but also from the serious and almost sad look on the youko's face. He didn't have to ask, it was easy enough to tell that this one didn't get a choice the first time.  
  
"Fine. Make your choice. But give that away to someone who deserves it. Don't waste it on this." Wth those words the youko stood up and hopped off the bed, heading out of the room. "Find someone who deserves it, not like those creeps."  
  
Yuusuke slowly sat up, watching the youko head for the door to leave the room. Summoning up what courage he had left he said one word, forcing it out with all his will, because he knew if he didn't do it now, he'd never get the nerve to say it again. This was his only chance, and he wasn't about to let it walk out of the room.  
  
"You."  
  
The youko stopped, a step before the door. For a moment he just stood there, Yuusuke's one wood echoing in the air around them, seeming to make it thick with tension. Time seemed to stretch out into eternity and Yuusuke cringed on the bed, his head tilting down so he didn't have to look up at rejection. He just wanted to shrink away into nothing. He shouldn't have said it, that wasn't the type of thing someone said outloud. And now he'd just royally screwed himself over-  
  
A hand on his cheek stopped him, and Yuusuke nearly choked on his sharp breath. He froze and didn't move save for the small tremble in his hands.  
  
"Why me?"  
  
"Because... I can't get my mind off you." Yuusuke murmured softly. "That... and... out of everyone here, you're the only one... I want to do anything with. So... my choice," he finished lamely, his voice was small and sounded weak, like a whisper could have knocked it away.  
  
"Your choice," the youko murmured back and Yuusuke felt that hand on his cheek pull him closer, and then those lips met his own for a split second. "I didn't get mine... but I can give you yours."  
  
Yuusuke made no protest as those lips met his and he let himself fall into being kissed again. Gentle hands pressed him down against the bed and Yuusuke relented without a sound, just following the youko's lead as he let himself sink deeper and deeper.   
  
The kiss was sweet, almost along the lines of some exotic candy, causing his lips to tingle and filling his entire mouth with the lovely taste. He moaned from pleasure as he felt the youko move closer to him, resting against his body. The sensation of skin touching fabric and feeling the weight just behind that only added to the taste, seeming to evelope Yuusuke. He moved his body to accomidate, wrapping his arms around the youko and spreading his legs a bit so he could be more comfortable. A second later he broke the kiss to come up for air, his cheeks blushing.  
  
The youko looked at him, a mischevious glint in his eyes. Something about that look made Yuusuke shiver and he found himself just watching with slightly wide eyes as those hands began to slowly peel away his clothing. Breathing quickened as the top was lost and Yuusuke trembled a bit more as the youko pulled at his pants, slidding them away and abandoning them on the floor. As soon as Yuusuke was naked his face turned beat red and he moved to turn away and curl up to cover himself.  
  
He didn't know what he'd been thinking. Sex? Here? Now? Was he nuts? He didn't even know a thing about this person, how could he possibly even consider this. In the end he just couldn't fathom it, and all he wanted to do was roll away and cover himself in the thick quilt, burying himself from the world. He couldn't do this. He just couldn't go through with-  
  
A soft hand brushed against his cheek and Yuusuke felt that long white curtain of hair brush against his bare back. Drawing in a sharp breath he couldn't bring himself to meet those eyes.  
  
"Shh, relax. I won't do anything to hurt you, I promise. You can trust me."  
  
The voice had changed. Something about the youko's voice was different, almost comforting in it's soft tone. There wasn't an underflowing current of being mysterious, or slightly dangerous, just the soft tone of a person. Yuusuke took a deep breath and relaxed, letting his eyes drift shut as he felt those lips touch his again, though this time only for a brief second.   
  
The lips soon left his and Yuusuke spread out over the bed again at the urgings of soft and careful hands. Fingers carressed his body, rising gooseflesh as he shivered and soft sounds of pleasure escaped his lips. Those fingers, travelling all over his body, making him react. For a long moment that was all the youko did, was touch Yuusuke, and yet that was enough to make Yuusuke begin to whimper softly, his body moving into the touches and asking for more. A moment later the youko moved closer to him and Yuusuke let out a low moan as his flesh met with the youko's, who was now also naked and still just as beautiful.  
  
Yuusuke let his eyes close as he just enjoyed all the sensations, the beautiful sensations. Fingers exploring every inch of him, while their bodies moved together. Ocassional kisses found his lips and he happily returned them, responding with his own untrained ones but he didn't seem to care any more. All he cared about was the ache growing in his body, causing him to hold the youko closer. He'd never felt anything like this before and he didn't know what to do, other then hold the youko closer and make soft sounds of pleasure, hoping he knew what to do.  
  
Then Yuusuke felt a hand slide between his legs, fingers brushing against his enterance. Panic flew up in his mind and he stiffened, inching away from the touch and holding his breath. No. No he couldn't, he couldn't. He just coul-  
  
"Trust me." But there was that soft voice again, whispering lightly in his ear. The tone of that voice seemed to wrap around him, calming him down, and Yuusuke took a slow breath to relax. Or at least, relax as much as he could in his current state. After a moment he nodded, unable to find any speakable words at the moment.  
  
The finger slid inside and Yuusuke cried out, his body claiming that the new sensation hurt, that it was wrong. It wasn't supposed to feel like this, it wasn't right. It wasn't supposed to feel... this good. As the finger began to move inside him, slowly getting him used to the feeling, Yuusuke found himself moaning loudly and soon he was moving back into the finger, his body trembling. He couldn't describe the feelings, all he knew was that he wanted more.  
  
Needed more.  
  
Yuusuke opened him mouth to communicate that need, but the only thing that came out was a soft cry and his voice cracked as another finger was added. His hands slid down and clutched at the sheets, twisting them between his fingers as he moved back against the fingers almost feverishly. Gods he needed more. He couldn't understand what was happening to him, and didn't care to understand at the moment. He just knew he needed more.  
  
"Please," he managed to whisper out. His voice no longer sounded like his own. He'd never heard that tone from himself and were he to have heard it any other time he would never have reconized it.   
  
The fingers slid away and Yuusuke whinned, already missing their feeling. He opened his eyes to try and find out why he'd pulled back, but lips met his own and he forgot about that thought. His eyes slid back shut and he responded to the kiss with a low moan, kissing back almost as if his life depended on it. And as he kissed he felt something else press against his enterance. Yuusuke nearly screamed out into the kiss, his hands coming up and grabbing hold of the youko harshly, enough to leave bruises in his arms where he held on.   
  
Yuusuke broke the kiss and cried out in pleasure, his entire world and body shaking with sensation. The rest of time became a blur and all he could do was move and cry out until his voice disappeared as well. Wave after wave of pleasure hit him and it all seemed to gather inside, having no where else to go. Vaguely, somewhere in the distance, he could hear the youko crynig out with him, but nothing else. Nothing but the pleasures and sensations building.  
  
And then everything around him seemed to explode.  
  
He collapsed back onto the bed, falling back against the thick and soft pillows. Yuusuke felt himself sink into the bed as it all washed over him, and all he could do was pant for breath. He felt damp. Damp with sweat and... something else.  
  
Yuusuke's cheeks flared red and he turned away as soon as he realized what that other feeling was, still panting softly for breath.  
  
"You're cute when you blush."  
  
Yuusuke slowly opened his eyes to find the youko lying next to him, a soft smile on his face as he brushed his fingers lightly through Yuusuke's hair. He was sweating a bit as well and the laziness of the smile told Yuusuke that he hadn't been the only one who'd enjoyed that.  
  
"You're... laughing at me," Yuusuke murmured quietly. His voice was harsh, raspy. How much had he been screaming? How many people... had heard?  
  
"I have no reason to laugh." The youko leaned closer and gave Yuusuke a soft kiss. "I enjoyed that as well."  
  
Yuusuke found himself smiling softly at that and he rolled onto his side, one arm wrapping around the youko's waist. He honestly didn't know why he'd done that, he just knew it felt right to hold him close after that, in a completely non-sexual way.  
  
"Yuusuke..."  
  
Yuusuke just smiled and closed his eyes, curling a bit closer. "Can you... sleep here tonight?"  
  
"I..." he stopped, sounding unsure, as if he wasn't used to someone reacting like this. Or maybe he just hadn't expected it from Yuusuke. After a moment's hesitation the youko wrapped his arms around Yuusuke, holding him close. "I'll stay."  
  
Yuusuke just smiled a bit more and made himself comfortable in those arms. Then he let himself slowly drift off to sleep. 


	8. Chapter 7

The next morning, Yuusuke was quite happy to find himself sleeping next to a warm body. He'd always heard that people were supposed to stay after the first time and he hadn't really expected the youko to, especially given his chosen occupation. But he was pleasantly surprised to wake up and still feel those arms around him. Smiling softly he rolled over, closer in those arms and peered at him.  
  
But as Yuusuke rolled over he found that the youko wasn't there. In fact, there was no evidence of the silver creature, not even so much as a silver hair clinging to the bedsheet below him. But rather, in his place, lay Triton, the silent boy he'd seen at many breakfasts but not really any place else. He was sleeping soundly, his long bangs scattered across his face as he slept still clinging to Yuusuke. He looked peaceful enough, certainly not like the anti-social Triton that Yuusuke usually saw. There was even a very small smile still clinging to his face from the night before.   
  
Yuusuke had been right. He'd thought that Triton and the youko were actually the same person, and falling asleep next to one and waking up next to the other only confirmed that thought. So now he knew the secret... but still not the reason.  
  
Well, the reason could wait.  
  
Yuusuke smiled to himself softly and settled back down to get a bit more sleep. He had work to do around the place, but he was pretty sure he was justified sleeping in at least this morning, especially considering what had happened the night before. He was reasonably sure Taski and the others would understand, so he didn't worry about it too much. There was also the fact that he was in no real hurry to actually tell everyone why he was late… he had a feeling that Triton avoided everyone in the place so this had to be rare, save for the people who actually paid to sleep with him.  
  
As he lay there, his mind drifted back to what he'd agreed to do, and perhaps the entire reason for last night. Yuusuke suddenly felt his stomach cave in a bit, a sick feeling rising through his throat. He'd honestly just agreed to participate in the nightly activities. Just like that he'd agreed. And just now he was willing to admit something important to himself.  
  
He was scared.  
  
Yuusuke closed his eyes and moved a bit closer to Triton, almost as if he were trying to hide against him. He wasn't going to back down on his decision, he had more pride then that. But he figured he was at least justified in feeling nervous beyond words. He'd seen the people who walked through, and that man in the trench coat specifically creeped him out. As far as he understood, in stuff like this he didn't get a choice. So what if someone creepy like that paid for him. Or worse, because he was quite sure there was worse. Yuusuke shivered a bit and took a slow breath, trying to stay calm.  
  
"Shhh."  
  
Yuusuke blinked open his eyes and looked up at Triton in surprise, his eyes meeting Triton's deep green ones. Oddly enough, for a small moment, those eyes struck Yuusuke as familiar, but he couldn't quite place where. "You're awake? For how long?"  
  
"Long enough to know you're worried about tonight."   
  
Apparently Triton was more friendly when you woke up next to him. Odd. "Yeah… guess I'm still nervous." Yuusuke looked at him a bit closer. "You changed shape."  
  
Triton's eyebrows knit together a bit and a glare started to form from his eyes. Apparently his 'ability' was a very touchy subject. "Yes?" His voice had turned cold, almost unfriendly. The same one that Yuusuke was used to hearing in the morning.  
  
"Nothing. I was just… curious, that's all."  
  
Triton frowned for a moment more, then pulled away from Yuusuke and sat up, the coldness not leaving his stance. Apparently it was a very touchy point, one that Yuusuke couldn't quickly apologize for. Not that it was fair, really, because how was he supposed to have known? But Yuusuke didn't say anything else, fearing that any more words from his mouth would actually only make it worse. Instead he just watched quietly as the auburn haired boy slipped out of the bed and retrieved his clothes. He looked a bit out of place dressed in the white tunic type outfit, but he still looked quite attractive.  
  
"A word to the wise," he said, glancing back at Yuusuke over his shoulder. "You saw the one dressed in black, right?"  
  
Yuusuke nodded, distinctly remembering the one he'd dubbed as Mr. Creepy.  
  
"His name is Karasu. Don't meet his eyes, you don't want to share a bed with him."  
  
Yuusuke suppressed a shudder and nodded. He'd figured that out for himself pretty much, but he was glad to have it pointed out to him too. Now he knew for sure.  
  
"And another thing. The blond, he's mine. Don't touch."  
  
"What? But he was the one…. Who kiss me…" Yuusuke trailed off as Triton left the room, apparently not acknowledging his lame attempt at an excuse, even if it was the truth. He sat there for a moment, just watching the door, then flopped back down on the bed, sighing softly.   
  
His mind drifted back to the kiss from the blond, and how that had felt. He remembered the mischievous look in the boy's eyes and certainly he couldn't complain about that kiss. He didn't much to compare it to, but still, it had been a hot kiss. And Triton was claiming the blond as his.  
  
Could you do that when people paid to sleep with you?  
  
Yuusuke doubted he was claiming the blond because he paid a lot, or something shallow like that. It didn't seem to fit his personality, but then Yuusuke wasn't exactly an expert at judging character. So it had to be something else, right? There had to be something else about the blond that made the youko claim him.   
  
Love?  
  
Yuusuke played around with that word in his head a bit. Love. Was that something he was now allowed to have? Were people in his new occupation allowed to fall in love? Seriously? Wasn't it a hazard to the job and what they did to get money? "Aren't you betraying someone's trust by sleeping with others?"   
  
"In a way, maybe."  
  
Yuusuke blinked and turned, finding Kuronue standing in the doorway. As he turned Kuronue gave a small wave, then stepped into the room. "Oh, uh, morning."  
  
Kuronue stepped into the room. "You might want to cover up, kid. While I'm not complaining about the view, I'm betting you don't want to be sitting there naked for the world to see right now."  
  
"Shit!" He'd completely forgotten that the night's activities had left him completely naked. Yuusuke rolled over and quickly grabbed the blanket, tugging it close to cover himself and to almost hide under. He wanted to just shrivel up and die. And Kuronue probably thought he was an idiot, especially considering how he was chuckling right now. But then… it was slightly amusing.  
  
"So, you were wondering about the whole sleeping around thing."  
  
Yuusuke nodded lamely.  
  
"The thought comes up all the time. We sleep with people because they pay for it. But we're still people. So things like feelings and love still mean stuff to us. We're not heartless."  
  
"I didn't think-"  
  
"I know you didn't think of it like that, but it comes up. And yeah, it can be a problem."  
  
Yuusuke frowned, his eyes glancing around the room. So the long and short of it was to not fall in love. Then you weren't risking anything and you didn't hurt anyone with what you were doing. But then those words rang in his head, the words Triton had said to him.   
  
'Don't touch the blond, he's mine.'  
  
"But some people do still fall in love."  
  
Kuronue blinked. "Of course we do. We're people too. Having wings or being able to talk to the dead doesn't make us exempt from the normal rules of life. Sure, we're a bit stranger then most people are, but we fall in love too. In fact, it's a lot easier to fall in love at this job, because too many people mistaken affection that is paid for as real. That's what you have to watch out for kid, that's the real danger."  
  
"You've had that, haven't you?"  
  
The winged man shook his head. "Nope, not me personally. But I know someone here who is in love, and I'm worried for him." He shifted on the bed a bit, as if considering his own words, then he glanced at Yuusuke. "I can trust you, right? To keep a secret?"  
  
Yuusuke nodded. "I won't say a word."  
  
"Remember the blond kid you saw? Well, he's not rich. In fact, he's quite poor, and almost a bit too young to be visiting a place like this. But he happened to fall for Triton. I'm not sure how they met, neither will answer questions about it, but they fell for each other. It's not the fake paid for kind, but it might have started out like that, I really don't know. All I know is that as far as everyone else is concerned that blond boy belongs to Triton, and no one else."  
  
"If they like each other, why does he keep showing up and paying? Why doesn't he just visit?"  
  
"Triton won't let him get that close."  
  
That made sense. In fact, that explained a lot of things about the youko that Yuusuke had recently slept with. His mood swings, his form changing, even just the different ways he acted toward people. He didn't let anyone close. In fact, the more Yuusuke thought about it, the more he realized that his moment with Triton was probably one of the most rare things in the world possible. Given any other circumstances, or maybe if he hadn't been so bold in that moment to ask, it never would have happened.   
  
"But he keep showing up?"  
  
Kuronue nodded. "Night after night. Nearly every night he can."  
  
"Why? If someone won't let you get that close, won't give you a chance, then why would you keep paying for it."  
  
Kuronue's dark black eyes trained on Yuusuke. "You sure you can't answer that yourself?"  
  
Yuusuke quickly looked down, avoiding those eyes and settling his own on his hands, which he found to be clutching the sheet that was now covering him. He could answer that himself, especially now that he'd seen another side of Triton. The answer was obvious. In the morning, the youko let his guard down. And even at night, during the right moments, he let it down there as well. Perhaps, to the blond, those small and rare moments were worth it all. Those moments coupled with the hope of more were probably what drove him, and Triton never seemed to stop him, especially if he was claiming him as his own.  
  
But still, that really had to hurt on nights when he didn't get there fast enough and someone else managed to secure Triton's 'services'.   
  
Was that why the blond has kissed him that night that Triton went off with Karasu?  
  
Yuusuke groaned a bit and leaned back, dropping his arm across his eyes. "My head hurts. Can I go back to sleep?"  
  
Kuronue responded with a soft chuckle and Yuusuke felt the bed shift as he stood up. "Sure, you're allowed to sleep in. I was making pancakes, so I'll bring a plate by while they are still warm. And you do have the day off, you know, right? Tonight's your first real night, so the day is yours." With that Kuronue left the room. Yuusuke heard him exit and the door shut behind him, leaving him in relative silence.  
  
Sighing softly Yuusuke rolled over in bed and pulled the blankets tight around himself. Even though he should have known better, he gave in and let himself drift off to sleep, images from the previous night flashing through his mind. 


	9. Chapter 8

The day dragged by.   
  
Time seemed to be at a crawl and when Yuusuke finally couldn't sleep any more, he resigned himself to finally sitting up and eating the food Kuronue had delivered. He'd spent a god couple of hours attempting to slip back off to sleep, but hadn't been able to. There was only so much sleep one could get, and being stressed out about the inevitable certainly didn't help matters either.   
  
Tonight. Tonight was the night he would start his new job. When that thought crossed his mind he found himself with the sudden urge to take a scalding hot shower, especially since he deafly afraid of that creepy guy in the black trench buying him. He had a feeling that avoiding eye contact wouldn't be enough after a while. Especially if the blond arrived in enough time to get to Triton before Karasu did.   
  
Yuusuke pushed away his breakfast after only a few bites and gave into the temptation of the shower to try and clear his mind. He didn't want to eat any food, he didn't want the day off. He wanted the day to fly by so he could get tonight over with, and yet part of him wished that the day would just pause, and the night would never come.  
  
Sighing softly he finally turned off the shower and stepped out into the room, drying himself off. To his surprise he found an outfit from that dressing room sitting on the bed. Yuusuke glanced out the window and blinked. The day had flown by, he must have slept more then he thought. But then, that was the curse of not really having a clock in his room.  
  
The outfit resembled a similar fashion as the one he'd worn the night before. But this time there was more skin showing, with the pants looking more like strips of fabric then actually pants. And a matching leather top that had no back was laid out atop it. It looked like something Kuronue would wear, and Yuusuke guessed it was probably from his side of the room since they were about the same body type, save for the wings and height.  
  
Taking a deep breath he pulled the outfit on, and braced himself for what was probably only a couple hours away.  
  
"I can do this."  
  
The entertaining room was sparsely filed, as usual, when Yuusuke entered. Once again he found Haku at his side, the young boy apparently not bothered by the company or what would obviously happen with each person once they left the room. In fact, he seemed perfectly comfortable as if it were normal, but then it would have been strange to have the young 'bodyguard' seem nervous, or at least that's what Yuusuke figured. The fact that Haku was accompanying him was evidence enough that the boy was watching him until he got the handle of things. And he'd found out that Yomi was now the one checking the guests at the door. Yuusuke, was happy for any help he could get.  
  
Triton was sitting across the room, perched in his usual plush chair, his golden eyes watching the door. He was wearing the same outfit as the night before, which still consisted of nothing more then a few conveniently placed whisps of white fabric, his tail curling down onto the floor with all his hair perfectly combed. He still looked just as beautiful as he had to Yuusuke the night before, but Yuusuke did his best to avoid his eyes. Tonight was business. He didn't know when he'd get to speak with the youko again, but tonight wasn't the time.  
  
This time the blond came in first. Yuusuke was watching the door and he couldn't help but smile a bit as he sat there waiting, when he saw Quatre enter the room. The blond smiled a bit and walked over toward Triton, careful not to make too much of a bee-line, but he wasn't too successful. Yuusuke watched him walk over to the chair and sit in Triton's lap as if it were an everyday occurrence. And Yuusuke watched as Triton easily wrapped his arms around him and melted into the kiss. It was obvious the two had more between them then money.   
  
It was sad that they couldn't keep that.  
  
"Son of a-" the voice snarled off into a low growl and Yuusuke turned quickly, only to find himself face to face with the man in the trench coat, Karasu. And he was doing the exact thing Triton had warned him not to… he met Karasu's eyes.  
  
Yuusuke recovered himself a moment later and looked away, muttering a soft string of curse words. Shit.  
  
Karasu's hand reached down and tilted up Yuusuke's head, forcing him to look up at him again. Yuusuke considered resisting for a second, but then decided that wasn't the best idea, especially since Karasu seemed like one of those guys who would like something like that. So instead he glanced back up at him, trying not to show any type of reaction, and especially trying not to make the smartass remarks flying up in his mind.  
  
"A bit rough, but attractive, none the less." Yuusuke could see the man's face now and it certainly wasn't an improvement. He had to admit that some people might have found this man attractive, were it not for the aura of just plain creepiness that surrounded him. He was a slime ball and he was one of those you could smell from a mile away. That just killed all the attraction right there.  
  
Yuusuke did his best to resist the urge to pull away from the man's grip. But at the same time, he had a pretty good idea there was no way he was getting out of this.  
  
But then, the strangest thing happened. Behind Karasu, Triton and the blond passed by, obviously heading toward one of the rooms. And as they passed, Triton leaned over to speak softly into Karasu's ear.  
  
"You don't want that one."  
  
Karasu turned. "Oh? And why not?"  
  
Triton's golden eyes glanced at Yuusuke, then back at Karasu. "Because he's a lousy lay."  
  
Yuusuke visibly winced at those words and looked down, clenching his hands into fists. Vaguely in the back of his mind he heard Karasu make a response, but he didn't catch the words, nor did he care to. All he could concentrate on was controlling himself so he didn't stand up and punch Triton across the room. His fists nearly shook with rage, but he managed to stop himself, which spoke volumes.  
  
Standing up, Yuusuke didn't even spare Triton a glance. Instead he just shoved past him and left the room, walking down the hall as fast as he could without betraying that all he really wanted to do was run. He didn't stop moving until he reached his bedroom, and then he slammed the door behind him and leaned against it, sliding down the wood.  
  
In that moment his anger melted away and Yuusuke hugged himself tightly.  
  
He didn't come out until the next morning. 


	10. Chapter 9

"You're a real asshole, you know that?!"  
  
Haku's voice rang through the hallways and Yuusuke numbly made his way toward breakfast, or whatever was left of it at this hour. The night before he'd literally torn his clothes in a frenzy to get them off and stuffed them in the garbage. That was it, he was done, and woe to that damned silver fox if he saw him within the next year. Because he would show him exactly how he felt about those words, with his fists!  
  
But Yuusuke couldn't help himself pausing in the hall as he heard Haku yell. He'd never heard the boy swear. In fact, he'd never heard the boy be anything but pleasant before. So this was something big, and sadly, something worth listening into.  
  
"I understand the need to be alone and the need to just shrug everyone else, but even a kid like me knows that went too far!"  
  
Triton's voice responded lowly, he sounded calm and he was almost too quiet to hear. "I didn't ask you."  
  
"I didn't need to be asked. I happen to like him, as a friend, and I'm sick of being pushed around by the damn prize of this entire place. What makes you so high anyway? You're just the same as the rest of us! We're all freaks! Turning around and treating him like that makes you just as bad as the people out there who were trying to kill you!"  
  
Yuusuke held his breath. They were talking about him, or rather, they were fighting about what Triton had said to him the other night. The phrase that had caused him to run out, and even debate leaving without telling anyone. The last person he'd expected to stand up for him was Haku, because he was always so used to the boy being so sweet and calm. Part of him wanted to go in there and help Haku, while the other part wanted to leave.  
  
He didn't want to hear Triton's excuses.  
  
"Haku, shut up. I saved him. I understand you're younger, and you're lucky, because you don't know what that one does. If that's what it takes to keep someone out of Karasu's bed, then I'll do it. You and him can hate me all you want and think whatever you like. But the truth of the matter is I'm not making anyone else go through that."  
  
"There were a lot nicer ways to do it. I know you saw the look on his face." Haku's anger had seemed to cool a bit, if the tone of his voice was any indication, but Yuusuke doubted that mattered much.  
  
A moment later Triton stepped from the room, apparently ending the conversation. He stopped, as he noticed Yuusuke standing outside listening and just looked at him for a long moment with those deep green eyes, then he walked past, disappearing down the hall.  
  
"I'm sorry, Yuusuke."  
  
Yuusuke turned to find Haku standing in the doorway, a sad look in his face. But Yuusuke just smiled and reached over, ruffling his hair a bit. "Don't worry about it. Thanks for standing up for me though."  
  
Haku shook his head. "It's still not right. He does that to everyone, any time you get close he shoots them down, hard. And then he goes around like nothing happened."  
  
So that explained exactly what Kuronue had been saying. It wasn't just the blond kid that Triton acted like that too, it was everyone. In spite of the harsh words from the night before, Yuusuke found himself almost feeling sorry for Triton. Almost. He gave Haku a shrug and a smile. "His loss, he's the one without friends."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Trust me kid, I've dealt with a lot of jerks in my life. He's not the worst, and in the end it's still his loss and his problem to deal with."  
  
Haku seemed to consider that for a moment, then gave his own nod, apparently agreeing with Yuusuke's logic. "I guess… Oh! Taski wanted to see you."  
  
"Well then, lead the way, kid."  
  
Months passed and Yuusuke dropped into a steady pattern. His first night 'on the job' wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be, but he also discovered first had that it certainly wasn't a glamorous job either. He got used to it, and he learned to tune certain things out, and soon it seemed like just another nightly activity to him.  
  
Something about sleeping for money being passed off as just a nightly activity bothered him at times, but he managed to get through it by talking with the others and getting tips from them. Koenma, especially ended up becoming one of his closest friends and the easiest one he could talk to in the group, and both seemed to like it that way. Yuusuke shared his worries and troubles with the 'job' and Koenma shared what the other occupants, that only he could see, thought of the place. This soon grew into a huge amount of inside jokes that the others were left out of. It annoyed Botan to no end, which they both took even more pleasure in.  
  
Yuusuke hadn't spoken to Triton since that night. Ever since the small spat with Haku, the youko seemed to become even more antisocial, not even meeting Yuusuke's eyes when he entered the rooms at night. Yuusuke wasn't sure if it had to do with him or with the fact that Quatre was showing up less and less as time went by. There was actually a whole month where he hadn't shown up and Triton had actually seemed to be upset the few times Yuusuke saw him, but he wasn't about to ask. As mean as it sounded, he felt like karma or whatever was giving the youko a nice boot to the ass for the way he treated people. It was a mean thought, but it kept Yuusuke from getting mad again.  
  
The longer Yuusuke stayed in the warehouse, the better the place looked. He still worked as a makeshift repair person during the day and within the next few months he'd taught himself how to fix most things around the place. And most times, they stayed fixed. Taski seemed quite happy about this as it helped them avoid repair bills, and the money problems seemed to settle down. Well, at least until the point that Taski wasn't throwing weekly fits when he had to fill out the papers.  
  
Things seemed to be dropping into a normal flow, like most of life did after a time, and Yuusuke found he was actually enjoying himself in his new home. And even better, it felt like home.  
  
A knock sounded on Yuusuke's door.  
  
"Just a sec!" Yuusuke ducked back into the bathroom to grab his shirt from the towel rack and threw it over his head, ignoring the fact that he was only halfway dried off from the shower he'd just taken. Grabbing a pair of jeans, he tugged them on as he walked to the door and managed not to fall on his face, but only because he'd had a life time of practice. Upon reaching the door he opened it…  
  
And quickly closed it again.  
  
"Shit." Yuusuke leaned against the door, taking a deep breath. He had not just…  
  
"Yuusuke?"  
  
That voice sounded familiar, far too familiar. And he'd only caught a glimpse, but a glimpse had been just enough to know exactly who seemed to be standing on the other side of that door.  
  
"Yuusuke Urameshi," the voice took on a familiar scolding tone. "I know you're in there."  
  
Yuusuke groaned loudly, definitely not wanting to open the door now. What was he doing here? How in the world had he gotten here? Hell, who'd let him in?! Yuusuke took a deep breath to relax himself then turned and opened the door, giving a nervous smile. "Hey Kurama."  
  
Kurama looked no different from when Yuusuke had left his home without a word. The other teen still had his red hair growing long down his back where it seemed a bit untamed, in spite of the fact that Kurama took quite good care of it. He still had deep green eyes, that always struck Yuuuske as looking intelligent and yet not high and mighty. Kurama had been, and apparently was still the school nerd that somehow managed to draw all the attention. No one could compare to Shuuichi Minamino, which was his real name. Kurama was just a nick name that he insisted Yuusuke call him by.  
  
But all of that didn't explain why Kurama was standing here now in his maroon school uniform looking right at Yuusuke. There should have been cities between them. Yuusuke had left his past behind, but apparently something had possessed his past to come looking for him.  
  
"Don't hey me, where the hell have you been?"  
  
Yuusuke smiled a bit more nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Umm, here and there, around. You know," he answered lamely. How exactly do you explain to a best friend where you've been for the last year or so. Hell, hadn't it been more then a year? Yuusuke didn't even try to do the mental math. He hated math, and even in this situation, avoided it as much as he could.  
  
He expected Kurama to punch him, to yell at him, to be mad… or something. What he didn't expect was for the red head to step forward and hug him tightly. And what he least expected was exactly what Kurama did. Yuusuke soon found himself clutched in a tight hug, Kurama holding him close. He stood there in shock for just a moment, then gave in and simply hugged him back.  
  
It felt good. Something about hugging Kurama felt comfortable, and even like home. The hug seemed to open the door to memories of school. Not the memories of falling asleep in class and failing his tests and beating up jerks for their lunches that usually accompanied his trips down memory lane, but instead good memories that he always seemed to over look.   
  
He remembered eating lunch with Kurama on the roof, both of them looking down and making comments about the students below. He remembered going to pick up Kurama so they could walk home from school together, and always having to pull him out of one textbook or another, or try and convince him to walk home instead of doing even more extra credit that he didn't need. There were the walks home, the movies, the sleepovers, the times Yuusuke would throw rocks at his window in the middle of the night because he'd gotten tired of dealing with his drunken mom. All the good memories came back, and Yuusuke found himself clutching tightly at Kurama, as if it would help him gain those moments of his life back.   
  
He hadn't realized how much he'd missed them until he'd seen Kurama again.  
  
"Hey… Yuusuke… I'm the one who's supposed to be breaking down. Not you."  
  
Yuusuke gave a small sound that sounded like something between a laugh and a snort and mostly sounded forced. He pulled back and smiled at Kurama, then stepped back and sat on the bed, not really sure what else to do. Kurama simply smiled back and sat down next to him, glancing around the room.  
  
"So this is where you've been hiding? It's… not bad." Those green eyes settled back on him. "Have you been here all this time?"  
  
Yuusuke shook his head. "I spent a while hoping from place to place. It's hard to find a job or a place to live when you have no income, and no real way to prove you are who you say you are."  
  
Kurama nodded. "Yuusuke… why did you leave? You didn't even say anything to me. It well… I got worried. And I should kick your ass for it, because it hurt."  
  
"I'm sorry." Somehow, saying those words only made Yuusuke feel worse. He pulled up one of his knees and hugged it loosely, resting his chin on his knee. "I had a fight with my mom and it just blew up. More so then it used to and well… she compared me to my dad and I guess that was just the last straw. I couldn't stand it anymore, and I left."  
  
Kurama nodded, not really looking at him, but rather focusing his attention on his hands which were twisting together in his lap. Yuusuke had told Kurama every story about his mom and his family so the red head knew everything that had gone on. So it didn't surprise him when Kurama responded with "I understand. That's what I figured, but well, it still hurt to not hear it from you. Did you really need to leave town? You could have come and stayed with me."  
  
He shook his head. "For how long? Your mom's understanding and nice, but you don't have much room in that house, especially with her new husband and your new brother. You're already sharing a room, I can't do that."  
  
"But there had to have been some place…" Kurama stopped and sighed. "I guess here works too. I mean, you seem comfortable, and it's huge. How do you pay for this?"  
  
Oh shit. Yuusuke froze at those words as he felt a chill crawl down his spine. He hadn't wrapped his mind around telling Kurama about where he lived now… or the people he lived with. "I'm kinda earning my room by repairing stuff. I share it… with the boy who answered the door, Haku." Mentally Yuusuke crossed his fingers, hoping Haku had been the one who answered the door.  
  
"Oh, he seemed really nice." Yuusuke nearly breathed a sigh of relief at that. "But repairing? I heard stuff about this place when I was passing through town, that's how I found you."  
  
Yuusuke took a deep breath. Perhaps the best thing was to just spit it out. But in the end, he couldn't. He couldn't make himself say it, or admit it. Hell, he still had trouble admitting to himself what he actually did every night. How was he supposed to admit it to his best friend?  
  
Simple. He couldn't.  
  
"Yeah, they're a bit… different. But they are some of the best people in the world." Yuusuke stood up quickly before Kurama could confront him about the slight veering in subject and grabbed his arm. "Come on, I'll introduce you."  
  
"Oh… ok."   
  
Kurama didn't make any protest as Yuusuke dragged him down the hallway toward the other large room in the back. It was the area that served as a kind of living room for everyone when they weren't busy. In truth Yuusuke didn't know how many people would be there, but it was the best place to find everyone, so it was a good start. On the way there, Yuusuke couldn't help but make a silent wish that it was someone less shocking. He had no real idea how Kurama would react to the other residents' more non human aspects. It would probably be best to slowly introduce him, but he would probably just have to accept who ever was there.  
  
They arrived at the room, which was filled with a mishmash of different worn but comfy couches, to find only a few people. Koenma was sitting in one corner with a notebook, smiling as he chatted with whoever was invisibly floating next to him. Across from him Kuronue was relaxing on the couch reading a book, and luckily he was laying on his wings, so they weren't clearly noticeable right away.  
  
And to Yuusuke's surprise, Triton was standing off to the other side in his human shape. He looked up as soon as both of them entered and immediately a strange expression crossed his face, one that Yuusuke couldn't completely decipher. A second later Triton quickly stood up and left the room, not saying a single word. Kuronue looked up and watched him leave, then turned to look at the source. When he spotted Yuusuke and Kurama he flashed a smile.  
  
"You can bring her in, we don't bite."  
  
Yuusuke visibly winced as he walked over with Kurama. "Actually, Kuronue-"  
  
"I'm a guy." Kurama cut in with a small frown. Yuusuke remembered that Kurama's body shape and his long red hair had always gotten him mistaken for a girl in the past. The year or two that Yuusuke had been gone seemed to really only have made things worse.   
  
"My mistake. Sorry about that. So, dropping by to see an old friend?" Kuronue, Yuusuke noticed, continued to lay on the couch as if it was perfectly natural for him to hold a conversation laying down. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know he was doing it to hide his wings and Yuusuke reminded himself that he'd have to thank Kuronue later on.  
  
Kurama nodded. "I was actually hoping to stay a bit. Since Yuusuke disappeared without telling me, we have a lot to catch up on." Kurama's eyes slid to Yuusuke with those words and he resisted the urge to wince again. He was going to get yelled at again next time they were alone…  
  
"Fine by me, I'm sure Taski won't mind, but you probably still want to tell him. Just one small thing, how open minded are you?"  
  
"If you're talking about the wings you've been laying on, then I'd say pretty open minded."  
  
Yuusuke whirled to face Kurama, just blinking in surprise. A second later it occurred to him. Of course Kurama had noticed. Damn red head never let anything get by him.   
  
"Oh, so you noticed." Kuronue, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered. He simply sat up and unfolded his wings to they crossed against the back of the couch and so Kurama could see them. Kurama's eyes widened a bit at the sight and he smiled as he reached out and lightly touched them.  
  
"Nice." He said softly.  
  
Kuronue grinned and glanced at Yuusuke. "I like him already."  
  
Behind them Koenma walked up with a nervous smile. "Yuusuke, who's your friend?"  
  
Yuusuke turned and smiled. "Koenma, this is Kurama my best friend from home. Kurama, this is Koenma, and he's got this super cool power to see the dead."  
  
"Yuusuke!" Koenma's cheeks flushed a bit red at that as he shook his head, apparently embarrassed at Yuusuke's compliment.  
  
"You can see the dead?" Kurama, however seemed very interested. "Can I… ask a question?"  
  
Nearly everyone in the room blinked at Kurama for that, just watching him for a moment. Then Koenma gave a small nod.  
  
"Dead people usually stick around the living right? Is there… can you see…?"  
  
Koenma frowned and shook his head. "If you're asking if there's anyone around you, there's not. Least not that I can see right now."  
  
"Oh. Umm, thanks."  
  
What the heck was that? Yuusuke couldn't help but just watch Kurama for a moment in wonder. As far as he knew Kurama didn't have anyone close to him that had died. And had it been a family member, the last place he would be right now was standing right next to Yuusuke. Kurama was the type of person to put other people first. He made them happy before he worried about himself, and that included if someone in his family or one of his friends died. He would have put off searching for his best friend to comfort them, so why was he asking such a thing.  
  
It occurred to Yuusuke a second later that he now had ammo. As shallow as it sounded he now had something that Kurama apparently hadn't told him about that he could use when Kurama confronted him about his job, which he would find out about soon. Especially if he stayed for a while. Yuusuke was not looking forward to it, but at least he was now somewhat prepared. 


	11. Chapter 10

The talk came later that day, around lunch time. Yuusuke and Kurama had both stopped in the kitchen to pick up food, then retreated back to Yuusuke's room to have some quiet time to themselves to catch up on everything that had been missed. As they both ate their sandwiches, both talked about simple, non-important things.   
  
In fact, the conversation was going so well that Yuusuke soon forgot to be afraid of what he knew was inevitable. The back of his mind considered the fact that maybe Kurama hadn't put two and two together, maybe he hadn't noticed-  
  
"I heard this was actually a… well…" Kurama stopped. "I guess there isn't really a nice way to put it is there?"  
  
"Night time entertainment." Yuusuke said, after he managed to just barely not choke on what was left of his sandwich. Setting it down, he kept his eyes on the plate, not looking at the redhead. "Yeah… you heard right."  
  
"Yuusuke, do you…? Why?"  
  
Yuusuke shrugged and leaned back on the bed, his eyes moving to the ceiling. He didn't want to explain, but he knew he could if he didn't look at Kurama. Somehow that made it easier. "You're right, repair work doesn't pay for room and board. All of us do that here… but not Haku, he's too young and Taski wouldn't let him. I don't know the other's reasons, but I know mine." He hesitated a bit. "Taski gave me a place to live, I owe it to him to pay for it, at least a little."  
  
"Is that the reason he told you? That to pay for this room you need to … do that?" There was an edge of anger in Kurama's voice. The anger that Yuusuke remembered hearing only on rare occasions when someone actually threatened him around Kurama. One wouldn't think the red headed honor student would be able to get angry over such things, but those smart expressions and polite words definitely hid another side. One that Yuusuke had seen defend him many times, usually from teachers who had pegged him as the slack off simply because he dind't have the best people skills in the world.  
  
"No, he didn't make me do it. I chose to, because I owe them."   
  
"Isn't there a better way to pay for it? How can you honestly…" Kurama stopped and pulled up one of his knees, hugging it a bit. "I guess I'm judging too quickly, aren't I? It just seems like a horrible way to earn a living."  
  
"It's not like I plan on doing it forever," Yuusuke said, glancing over at him. "It's just for now, 'cause I owe them. That and it would feel too strange for me to get a real job and still live here… when none of them can. I'd feel like I was flaunting it in their face about how normal I was."  
  
Kurama's expression seemed to drop a bit. "Being normal isn't something you flaunt. It's just something you are."  
  
Yuusuke frowned a bit at those words, not quite sure what they meant. Kurama seemed like the last one in the world who would have troubles with being considered normal. Even with being incredibly smart he was still considered normal, at least more normal then Yuusuke the punk ever was. So why did it sound like there was something else?  
  
"Kurama… why did you ask Koenma that?"  
  
The red head seemed to curl up before Yuusuke's eyes, hugging his leg a bit tighter as he rested his chin on his knee. His long red hair fell forward, blocking his face from sight as Yuusuke watched him.  
  
"I was asking about my brother," he said in a very soft voice.  
  
"You have a brother? But I thought you were an only child." Yuusuke sat up a bit to listen.   
  
"I remember a younger brother, but only a little. Mom and dad won't talk about him and I don't ask. I found a picture once, of both of us standing together smiling for some family photo. But it's smudged, with something strange in the picture and I can't make him out. It was tucked in the garbage… and there's nothing else in the photo albums."  
  
"If there's nothing else, then how do you know he wasn't just a friend?"  
  
Kurama shook his head. "I can't explain, I just know. I thought, maybe, he died and my parents didn't want to remember that they lost him."  
  
Yuusuke frowned. "Can I see the picture?"  
  
The red head hesitated for a moment, then nodded and slipped a photo out of his pocket and handed it to Yuusuke.  
  
The photo was strange. It actually looked like a completely normal family photo, with a five year old Kurama standing in front of his parents, who were all smiling for the photo. But strangely, standing next to Kurama, was a white blur, almost looking like it was mixed with grey. And when Yuusuke looked closer he noticed that the smiles on their faces weren't quite real, almost as if within the next minute they were all going to jump back in surprise.  
  
And in the white blur, was a face.  
  
It wasn't like one of those fake photos that people see on those paranormal shows, but rather this one was in the shape of a human. And there was an obvious face, rather then the washed out shadows that people see. Yuusuke could make out closed eyes and some traces of brownish red looking hair, blurred into the white image. But other then that the picture was pretty undistinguishable. He looked from the photo back up to Kurama.  
  
"It does look like a person…"  
  
"I know it's not much by itself. But I also remember, like little shadows in the back of my mind, sharing my room with someone. But that's really all. I mean there are these weird feelings of déjà vu, feeling like there should be another person next to me, doing stuff with me… it sounds strange, doesn't it?"  
  
Yuusuke shook his head, still looking at the photo. "Why didn't you tell me about this before?"  
  
"Because I wasn't sure myself. I guess when you said Koenma could see ghosts and spirits I thought maybe-" He shrugs. "It's not that important, just something I'd like to know if I can, you know."  
  
Yuusuke handed the photo back to him. "I'll keep an eye out and tell you if I find out anything." Yuusuke returned to laying on the bed, relaxing. After a moment he glanced over at the clock, and a frown crossed his face as he saw what time it was.  
  
"When do you start… working?" Kurama asked quietly.  
  
"In the next hour… I should probably get dressed."  
  
A silence passed between them, neither seeming to know what to say. Then Kurama smiled just a bit and stood up. "Come on, I'll help you pick out something to wear."  
  
Yuusuke made a face. "You kidding me? I can't stand your fashion sense. You always seem to be wearing pink!"  
  
Kurama just laughed and followed Yuusuke to the dressing room.  
  
The fight started rather abruptly. No one really saw it coming, or rather everyone saw it building but they really didn't think it would happen. Yuusuke, at the time, was on one side of the room, chatting with a man who really wasn't that noticeable, save for the slight green tint to his hair. It was the usual chatting that took place as the 'guests' chose who they would be spending the night with. Something like getting to know the person better. Yuusuke thought it was a joke, but it delayed the inevitable so he didn't complain really.   
  
Across from him was where the fight started. As usual Triton could be found sitting in his usual chair, simply waiting for his guest of the night. And, as usual, the blond boy managed to make it in first. The two of them were just standing up to leave, when Karasu came strolling in the room. Apparently his eyes met right with Quatre's, and in the next minute the blond boy was back against the wall, a bruise growing on his cheek. A mere split second later the room went silent and Triton was standing in front of Quatre, glaring.  
  
"Back off." Triton growled, his voice sounding more like that of an animal then a human. Yuusuke wasn't too surprised, given his current form.   
  
"Damn little boy doesn't know how to share." Karasu's lips lifted in a smirk and he grabbed Triton's wrist, pulling him forward. "It's my turn tonight, fox."  
  
Yuusuke saw, to his surprise, Triton shiver a bit at those words as he tried to pull his wrist out of the man's grip. But apparently he held tight, because Triton wasn't able to go anywhere. Then, against his better judgment, Yuusuke stepped over.   
  
"Let him go." All eyes focused on him, including Karasu's, and suddenly Yuusuke realized how bad of an idea this was. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't just stand there and watch. He hated seeing other people get beaten up and he was pretty sure that's what would happen if anyone stood up to Karasu. But the problem was that no one was standing up to him. Was it because Triton was such an unsocialable jerk? Still, that wasn't a reason to let this happen.   
  
"Go away, this isn't your business. I paid for my night, and I will get it."  
  
Yuusuke frowned. "Funny, I think the blond kid paid too. And you know, he got here first." The silence around Yuusuke only seemed to grow, becoming thick and almost tangible. This was becoming more and more of a bad idea. But then, he'd never really been that smart about bad situations.  
  
Karasu glared at Yuusuke and suddenly was tossing Triton back, moving quickly. The next thing Yuusuke knew his back was against the wall and a hand was pinning him by the throat. He managed to let out a cough of protest as the hand squeezed around his throat, Karasu looking angrier by the second.  
  
"This is none of your business. I don't like others moving in on what's mine!"  
  
Yuusuke had been in many fights when he was a kid in school, most of them starting because of his inability to think first in such situations. Usually they only resulted in a sore hand or one or two black eyes, but this was the first time that he'd ever actually found himself being scared of someone. He couldn't move out of the grip, not even and inch, and he was rapidly running out of air. His mind had dropped out of fighting mode into panic mode, desperately pleading mentally to be let go, yet not offering any real way for such a thing to happen. All Yuusuke could really do was struggle there and try to make his air last a little bit longer, hoping that someone stepped in.  
  
Apparently someone did.  
  
The grip around Yuusuke's neck loosened, and then let go, and he let himself drop to the floor as he coughed, very happy to be able to breathe again. A few moments of recovery and he finally let himself look up to see what had happened.  
  
No one in the room had really moved, they were all standing where they'd been a moment ago. The one key difference was that Haku was now standing in the doorway, the child's eyes narrowed in a glare that sent a chill down Yuusuke's spine. Standing next to him was Taski, who didn't look very pleased either, and both of them had their eyes on Karasu.   
  
Karasu who was now standing a few feet away, both of his hands being clamped tightly to his side by Yomi who didn't even seem to be breaking a sweat. Silence had descended on the room again, and Yuusuke relented to just sitting there watching, figuring that was safer then making things worse.  
  
"Inexcusable. Get out." Even Taski's voice held a threatening edge to it, a tone Yuusuke didn't even think was possible for the red head. He just wasn't the type who you really thought could be serious, least not until a situation like this.   
  
"I paid-"  
  
Taski made a show of spitting on the floor. "I don't give a shit if you handed over a chest of gold pieces. You may not think highly of any of us, but that gives you no right to even consider something like this. You know the rules, you sign the damn contract each night you show up. Any damage or harm done to anyone here, and your money is forfeit. You are gone. I don't ever want to see your face again. Get. Out."  
  
Karasu glared at him angrily and pulled out of Yomi's grip, heading for the door. "What are you going to do? Call the police? No police chief will take this freak show seriously."  
  
A smirk crossed Taski's face, the kind of smirk that you see on the face of someone who doesn't care, and Yuusuke was betting that was exactly how he was feeling. "You think we need the police? We can take care of our selves. Because no cop would believe that you were attacked by a tall blind man with horns, or a child who controls ice."  
  
To emphasize Taski's point, Haku turned his hand and five long thin icicles appeared, in the shape of long thin needles. That seemed to get the point across, literally, because Karasu took a step back.  
  
Frowning at all of them, the dark haired man seemed to reconsider his situation. Then he was stomping out the door and not looking back. Yuusuke dropped back against the wall, just relaxing and breathing a huge sigh of relief. Around him everyone began to move again as well and within moments the room was mostly cleared out. The only one who remained, other then normal inhabitants, was Quatre, who was sitting back against the wall, refusing not to move.  
  
"Quatre?" Not even Triton could get him to respond as he just sat there, shaking a bit. The silver youko frowned and glanced back at Taski, before standing up and giving a helpless look. Surprisingly it was actually Haku who managed to get the blond to move with a few very soft words and comforting movements. Within seconds the two were headed out of the room toward probably a place for him to rest and relax. Meanwhile, Triton turned to Yuusuke.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking?"  
  
Yuusuke just glared at the fox. "Well you're very welcome." Yuusuke spat back. "I just saved your ass the least you could do is say thank you."  
  
But Yuusuke didn't even give him a chance to say thank you. Instead he just turned and stomped out of the room. Forget it all. The last thing he wanted to deal with anymore was that prissy silver haired ass. He didn't hear anyone call after him, but he doubted he would have responded if they did. He didn't even really say anything to Kurama as he entered back into his room. Instead Yuusuke just made a bee-line to the bathroom and slammed the door. Then he turned on the water to freezing cold, hoping an icy shower might help cool down his steam. 


	12. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Welcome to Kurama's point of view. Why? Mostly because there's only so much of the story that you can tell from one person's point of view. And there are things that make Kurama as much of a main character in this story as Yuusuke and the others. I will probably be going back and forth now as I switch scenes, seeing as how Kurama has a nice large part in the upcoming plot twists.

Kurama lay on the bed, just staring up at the ceiling. He'd heard Yuusuke come in and he'd looked up, only to see his best friend stomp across the room and go right into the bathroom, slamming the door hard. Kurama looked at the door for a moment, then had laid back down, deciding not to bother him. It was one of Yuusuke's moods. He knew his friend well enough to know when to bother him and try to help him fix the problem and he knew when to let things go because Yuusuke just needed to blow off steam. At least… he had known Yuusuke that well.

Now he had his doubts. The Yuusuke he'd known a year ago was quite different. He was used to the school bully who really wasn't that much of a bully once you got the chance to see beyond his tough mask. He was used to carefree, almost air-headed boy who had the goofiest grin on the face of the planet, and who occasionally had made a hobby out of groping him in the hallways just to get his reaction. Yuusuke hadn't even seemed to care when he'd been slapped across the hallway into the other lockers, he'd just taken it as part of the game. Apparently he thought Kurama's blush was the best part of it.

And Yuusuke was the only one who Kurama let call him Kurama.

Kurama turned on the bed, rolling over on to his side as he looked at the wall. The paint had cracked in one area and was just starting to peel away, barely even noticeable, but he noticed it. And for lack of anything else to look at on the bland off-white wall he focused on it, just piecing through his thoughts.

It'd taken forever for Yuusuke to tell Kurama about his parents and his living situation. Kurama had suspected there was something wrong when he realized that Yuusuke was starting to spend more nights 'sleeping over' with his friend then he was at home. And he showed up to school looking tired, almost never with a lunch to eat. It had taken some prying and poking, but Kurama had finally been able to get him to spill about his home life. Or lack there of.

A mother who was almost constantly drunk or passed out and a father who left before Yuusuke could remember him. It really helped to explain a lot of Yuusuke's attitudes to Kurama. He was actually surprised the boy went to school at all, but Yuusuke's response was it got him out of the house, and anything was better then extended time with his mother.

So the two had become close friends. Kurama had even let Yuusuke use his nickname, Kurama, rather then his real birth name which was Shuuichi. It was a nick name he preferred to his real name, and if he could help it he used it instead. He just never let the teachers or other students know it. Because one time his parents had heard it, and they disapproved.

The last thing he wanted was for them to disapprove of him. If truth were told, that was actually his worst fear. Being disapproved and shunned because of it. Perhaps that was why he was actually the best student in his class. 

The bathroom door opened and Yuusuke stepped back out, dressed in a loose robe as he rubbed his hair dry. Kurama sat up and glanced at him, and Yuusuke offered him an apologetic smile.

"Rough night?" Kurama asked.

"Very. Looks like I'll be sleeping in here."

Kurama just nodded, not asking more then that. A large part of him had wanted to ask what had happened, but he knew better. If Yuusuke wasn't looking like he wanted to spill the information but just didn't quite have the words for it, then there was a good chance that Kurama wasn't going to get anything out of him. Least not yet.

Then, on top of that, there was the fact that Yuusuke's life for the last year and a half was something Kurama hadn't been a part of. He'd shown up at the door to this place expecting to find his friend from school, expecting life to just pick up… 

What he'd found was a much older friend who recognized him, but was still different. The Yuusuke who'd opened the bedroom door seemed taller, by just a bit, showing that his late growth spurt wasn't actually much to wait for. However the rest of the year's aging had been quite good for him, somehow managing to help him morph from the bullying clown that Kurama knew so well to someone that might actually be considered mature and sexy, especially considering the choice of clothing he'd become accustomed to with his new job.

And it was perhaps the new job that had changed him the most. Kurama could see a difference in the way Yuusuke acted. He thought about things more, and he wasn't prone to outbursts or yelling as much as he used to be. Where the high school Yuusuke would have blown up at someone and would have been barely able to keep from punching them, this Yuusuke had a more mature and aged look in his eyes, and Kurama actually saw him stopping and thinking more then usual. Granted, he still had his moments of bad temper, but they weren't as common as they used to be. And his eyes definitely held an age that could only be gained by living in the real world outside of school. It wasn't a bad thing by any means, but it was usually a look that wasn't gained until after high school was over and college was being considered.

Kurama turned on the bed to look at his old friend as he laid there and oriented his eyes on the same crack which had filled Kurama's vision a moment before. He wanted to say something, ask, anything. But this part of Yuusuke's new life was something he knew nothing about.

"There was a blow up." Yuusuke murmured. "Damn silver haired prince is a frickin asshole," he muttered angrily under his breath.

Kurama blinked. "Silver haired? I haven't met anyone here with silver hair…"

Yuusuke sighed. "And that's a good thing. Trust me, he's got a real attitude problem. Worse then mine." Kurama watched as his anger seemed to melt away and he sat up. "I should go check on the kid, I'm not going to get any sleep."

"Yuusuke… what happened?"

His friend turned and looked over at him, giving a small shrug. "You're still good at listening and talking right?"

Kurama nodded. "I'm out of a year's practice since you were gone, but I still manage."

"Good. Because there's a blond kid that needs a friend right now. And I have a feeling that none of us are going to be able to speak with him."

"Oh, because you're…" How did one say that? Every word that popped into Kurama's head seemed horribly offensive, and something like 'midnight entertainer' just seemed like a joke rather then politically correct. So he just left it hang, knowing that Yuusuke would know what he meant. Apparently Yuusuke hadn't found a good word for it yet either.

"Yeah. That."

Standing up Yuusuke led Kurama out of the room and to where the living room was. He must have guessed correctly, because Kurama immediately spotted a new blond boy sitting in the corner on a pillow. He seemed calm enough now, but from the fact that he was sitting in what could have easily been used as a hiding spot and he was still lightly hugging his knees, Kurama could tell he didn't look nearly this calm too long ago.

Haku was currently sitting next to the boy, but they weren't saying much, and Kurama could see that he was a bit uneasy and not sure what to say. Without waiting for Yuusuke to say anything, Kurama stepped forward and crossed the room. He glanced at Haku before kneeling down in front of the blond and extending his hand into his line of vision. Haku took the hint and stood up, quietly slipping away.

"Hey," he said softly, keeping his voice friendly and light. The blond in front of him reminded him of Yuusuke in a way, or at least the side of Yuusuke that no one was ever allowed to see. He looked in desperate need of a hug and some comfort, but it was also one of those looks that told you that any such attempt would quickly be rejected with a fake smile and an insistence that nothing was wrong. 

The blond caught sight of his hand and slowly looked up, looking a little nervous. He met Kurama's eyes and blinked a bit, almost looking confused. "You're… new," he said quietly.

Kurama smiled softly and nodded, at least the kid had calmed down enough to speak. "I'm actually just visiting a friend, but no I'm not from around here. They asked me to come and talk to you because, well, Yuusuke thought you would be more comfortable speaking with me instead of someone else."

The blond winced a bit. "Because they all work the same as he does…. Yeah." He sighed and looked down. "That sounds real shallow doesn't it? I come here every night I can to sleep with Triton, and yet when it comes to speaking with one of them like a real person, I just can't."

"Believe me, I know how you feel. I just found out myself what Yuusuke does at night. It does take a bit to wrap your mind around it. I wouldn't worry about offending them, you can tell by the look in their eyes that they know what they do, and don't care."

Quatre lifted his head and looked past Kurama at the small group sitting over in the other side of the room talking. He sighed again and tried to relax a bit. "I should probably leave."

"You don't have to. You can stay. In fact, you look a bit hungry. You should at least stay to get something to eat."

Quatre shook his head, his fingers playing with the edge of the pillow. He sighed and glanced back up, his eyes crossing the room and obviously looking for someone. Someone who wasn't there.

"Did you want to go for a small walk… to somewhere where we can talk alone?" Kurama offered, just watching the boy. He could tell he was self conscious of the others hearing anything he wanted to say. More then likely the boy was just like him and Yuusuke and didn't know what words to use without offending them or making the situation worse. So the first thing to do was take him to a place where that wouldn't be an issue.

Apparently the blond liked that idea, because he slowly stood to his feet and responded with a small nod. Kurama gave him a smile and offered him a hand, then both of them walked out of the room.

After some searching they finally found a small room in the very back of the warehouse which had a few cleaning supplies and a pair of dead chairs which were falling apart with worn fabric and springs struggling to escape from the sides. Quatre dropped onto one of the chairs and blinked in surprise as it gave a crack and at the same time almost bounced him back out from how uneven it was. Kurama gave a small smile and eased into the other, making sure it was safe.

"So… you don't live here?"

Kurama shook his head. "I live a couple miles away. Yuusuke used to live down the street from me. He went missing so I came looking for him."

"Then he's got a good friend." Quatre sighed and pulled his knees back to his chest. "Is he like the others?"

"You mean the wings and horns and such? No. Yuusuke's only talent is to be incredibly annoying when he really wants to. And his short temper. Can I… ask what happened? Why you're here?"

"Some boys at school dared me. You probably don't know the rumors about this place, but some of them are pretty bad. People who sleep for money…that's the nicest one. Most of them are centered around… freaks and… monsters." Quatre winced saying those words, obviously not liking them. "But I know he's not that. He's just… hurt."

Kurama blinked, realizing that Quatre was talking about someone else. What was the name Yuusuke had said? "Triton?"

Quatre looked up. "You know him?"

"No, Yuusuke just said his name, that's all."

"Oh." Quatre looked back down. "I showed up the first night and stumbled into him, and he was nice to me. I tried to act bold and like I belonged here, but he kept calling me kid. But I paid and… we…"

Kurama couldn't help the small smile that crossed his face. "You fell in love."

Quatre seemed to wither up and nodded, tightly hugging his knees. "I didn't mean to. I know you're not supposed to. He told me not to. But I can't help it." Quatre sighed. "I made a big mistake, and you'd think I'd be upset about the fact that Karasu knocked me into the wall. I'm not… I'm upset I don't get to see him tonight and… and that was the last I had."

Kurama remained quiet as the blond boy finished spilling his thoughts. The two weren't that much different in age, in fact Quatre was probably only a year younger, if even, and yet this one had made the mistake of falling in love with one of the people here. Kurama had never worked at a brothel or a night time entertainment club, but he knew that falling in love was something that had to be forbidden. It only made sense. Falling in love with your clients severely curbed your method of income, not to mention that it made a difference in your performance at night when you were with others. It didn't take a jump of logic to figure that out.

So Quatre was faced with the prospect of a one sided love that he actually had to pay for to continue, and this had been his last chance. Kurama didn't know anything about Triton, but he had a feeling that any attempt at an appeal would probably be met with coldness or uncaring. Even if Triton returned the feelings, which seemed unlikely, there wasn't a good way out of this.

"Maybe… I can talk to Taski for you."

Quatre shook his head. "I don't want to create any more trouble. I'm already a bother. I should just go home and stay there."

"And give up."

Quatre started to nod, then stopped himself and ducked his head. "Y… yeah."

Kurama opened his mouth but stopped, settling down to sigh softly. The blond across from him was quite stubborn and almost as bad as Yuusuke, in his own way. He realized he could offer and offer all he wanted and maybe even attempt to force the boy into asking, but in the end it wouldn't hope. Both Kurama and Quatre knew he was fighting a losing battle and at this point, after a loss like this, forcing him to stay longer would only hurt him more. It was times like this that Kurama hated his rational mind. 

Silence filled the room for a long moment, before Quatre finally stood up and stretched a bit, relaxing and seeming to shrug off his own feelings. He stepped toward Kurama and thanked him quietly, then turned to the door, moving to leave. Kurama didn't stand up to stop him, knowing better then that.

But the blond boy stopped himself at the door and glanced back. "You know, I just realized, you have the same eyes."

Kurama looked up and blinked in surprise. "What?"

"You and Triton. You have the same eyes. It's the same dark forest color that turns gold in the moonlight. I mean, I haven't seen yours in the moonlight... but I'm sure its the same."

A shiver moved down Kurama's back and he forced himself not to show it, his hands gripping tightly against the arms of the chair as he hoped Quatre didn't see. He didn't know what to say, so he just stayed silent, his entire body seeming to stop as if every part of him could hold its breath.

Quatre just shrugged it off and smiled. "Night." Then he left the room, heading for the front door. Kurama watched him leave in silence and was suddenly overcome by the strange urge to mimic his earlier posture, hugging his own knees to his chest.

A moment later he pushed away that feeling and stood up, heading back to Yuusuke's room where he spent his nights. He didn't understand why he felt so uneasy all of a sudden, but he was probably over reacting. He could tell the sun was close to rising outside and it was far too early in the morning to be awake unless you had a final the next day. What he needed right now was sleep.

Not some nagging voice in the back of his head that told him there was more to all this then being tired.


End file.
